Don't You Dare Clock Out Early
by Rockgod96
Summary: Struggling with many issues, such as being rejected, feeling inferior, and being depressed, Scout decides it's time to end it all. Tracer begs him not to do it, but will it be enough to talk him out of it? Warning. This fic is a story about depression and suicide and it contains strong language and some graphic violence.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**This is my first crossover fanfiction. First of all, I would like to say up front that I only just recently got into Overwatch, so my knowledge of the game and its' settings are not the best. So if I get anything wrong with this story, that is, concerning the characters, their origins, and whatnot, do not, I repeat, DO NOT hesitate to correct me. I am constantly looking to expand my knowledge.**

 **Second, this is a rewrite of an earlier fanfiction that I wrote (but never posted). It featured Scout and Tracer as lovers (boyfriend and girlfriend). I abruptly stopped writing this when I found out that Tracer was a lesbian, because now such fanfictions don't make much sense to exist, even though they are just that: Fanfictions. They're your own work. And besides, it's not like Valve and Blizzard executives constantly read fanfiction and decide to make it canon.**

 **Even so, you do feel a need to keep your story consistent with what is canon. You wanna write stories that feel like they could fit in the canon of the universes and not make it too ridiculous.**

 **I was a little disappointed at first with Blizzard making Tracer come out. Not because I am anti-gay or anti-lesbian (I'm not), but because I just loved writing about her and Scout together. I thought they made such a cute couple. Even cuter than Scout and Miss Pauling (who, apparently, is also either a lesbian or bisexual).**

 **However, in retrospect, having Tracer be a lesbian actually works out better for me, because it allows me to write about couples other than what I'm used to (that is, heterosexual man and woman couples). I've always been nervous about writing about LGBT couples because I'm not sure I can properly represent them.**

 **So, I re-evaluated the relationship that I made between Scout and Tracer and decided instead to make them more like siblings than lovers. Gay and lesbian really act no different than straight people, so I feel like I can properly show Tracer in this story as like an older sister who constantly teases and mocks and embarrasses her little brother (in this case, Scout), but at the same time is also very protective of him and after hearing his backstory (which will occur at some point in this fanfiction), feels that it's her responsibility to be that big sister that Scout never had and look after him, especially in his times of need and hurt.**

 **Third, I wanted to create Scout as someone with issues such as an inferiority complex (you can thank ScrewAttack for that), fear of abandonment (being rejected by one lesbian girl whom you had a crush on is bad enough, much less two), and overall depression. And he uses his cockiness and attitude to try to cover it all up so that no one will think he's a wimp. This, I feel, leads to some very interesting hurt and depression stories revolving around Scout, which, frankly, I don't see very much of on the internet, even on this site.**

 **Fourth, I wish to express that I do not own the rights to any of these characters or settings. Blizzard Entertainment owns Overwatch and Valve Corporation owns Team Fortress 2.**

 **Finally, please, and I cannot stress this enough, PLEASE leave reviews. I want to know if this story is good enough that I should continue writing it.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Beginning of a New Love?

" **The summary looks interesting, can't wait to see how it goes." –GameQ**

 **Thanks for your review. I'm hoping that this sort of fanfiction will be quite different than the average one on this site.**

The relationship between Jeremy "Scout" Scott* and Lena "Tracer" Oxton has been quite a strange one.

The Overwatch had travelled back in time to the 1970's to recruit the RED Team in their fight against Talon. Although the RED Team had outdated weapons for the late 21st Century, Winston decided to go back in time and recruit them to help because they had one thing that the Overwatch seemed to lack: Unpredictability.

Because of the insane nature that the mercenaries had, their thoughts and actions could not be predicted ahead of time. As sane heroes, Talon was now beginning to expect Tracer's chronal accelerator or Pharah's "Justice rains from above!" chants every other minute. They really needed something or someone to keep them unpredictable.

The RED Team certainly provided that. However, due to their insanity, as well as their "ancient" weapons, their fights now had a lot more blood and guts floating around. But what really disgusted the Overwatch was that the RED Team seemed to find all this violence to be entertaining and hilarious.

One instance saw Winston overseeing a sentry gun fire in which dozens of Talon soldiers were lying dead on the ground with a pool of blood coming out of their bodies. He even thought he saw someone's stomach just plop on the ground. He looked to the side of the sentry gun creating all this pain and saw the Engineer sitting on his Rancho Relaxo slurping some beer while all this was going on.

"Really?!" Winston shouted. "How can you possibly be drinking on the job, much less as lots of people are getting mutilated?!"

"Ahh, it's all very fun to watch," Engie replied. "Might as well enjoy it as much as I can."

Just then, a Talon soldier came running around the corner and soaked up about 20 bullets before dropping dead.

As Winston's jaw crashed onto the ground, Engie said, "Why is your mouth open, partner? Oh, you must be hungry. Popcorn?" He reached out a bowl of popcorn as another soldier got blown to bits by the sentry's rockets.

Genji thought that Demoman was nothing more than a drunken idiot who had no idea how to fight properly. She looked at his grenade-and-sword attacks as dishonorable and despicable, despite their obvious effectiveness (for this reason, Junkrat found his new best friend). Also, it seemed like Mei's new job was to keep Pyro's rampages from getting out of control.

But probably the most animosity was found between Scout and Tracer. As they were both noted for their quick speed, they were often teamed up together. Tracer wasted no time mocking Scout for his inferior weapons and skills as well as his slower speed.

"Hey, wait up, sis!"

"Keep up, luv!"

Scout was clearly jealous of this as he was panting to keep up. But secretly, he admired her for those skills. Unlike Soldier, who believed that women should stay in the kitchen, Scout had a thing for badass women who weren't afraid to stand up and speak out. If only he could save her life at some point, he might just get her to fall in love with him, which allow him to ask her out on a date.

Tracer didn't feel the same way towards him. She mostly mocked him to make up for her disgust at his antics, which, along with the rest of the RED Team, involved killing enemies in the most violent way possible. But Scout went one step further and actually taunted after each kill. And by each kill, that means. Every. Single. Kill.

He would often shout some cheesy one-liner at his victim's expense. One time he tossed his Flying Guillotine at a soldier, which hit him in the head and pinned him to a wall (which was enough to make Tracer barf). Scout, however, said, "Hey man! Stick around!" Other times saw him teabagging someone he just shot.

He just did not seem to be taking any of this seriously. He did not seem at all to acknowledge that Talon was a terrorist organization and that millions of lives were at stake. He just seemed to think this whole thing was a joke. Every time a mission started, Scout would say something like, "Play ball!" or "Let's party!" Tracer was not particularly amused at the beginning of this mission, was saw him shout, "It's showtime!"

" 'It's showtime?!' This is a fight against terrorists, love! This is not a bloody video game!"

"Yeah, sure it's not," Scout said.

Scout wished to be in a situation where he could save Tracer's life and he just now found one. As she stood outside by a corner, waiting for Scout to catch up, a Talon sniper was aiming at her from a short distance, without her noticing. She quickly turned around, though, once she heard a loud scream of pain come from behind her. The sniper fell out of the tall building he was hiding from, with both of his severed arms coming down after him. Scout then landed next to him holding Demoman's Half-Zatoichi which he had borrowed, and said, "'Ey! I think I can guess what your favorite book is! _A Farewell to Arms_! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Scout!" Tracer shouted. "That was not funny!" She wouldn't admit it, but she actually did find that joke funny.

"What? Isn't it better than, 'See you at the party, Richter?'"

Tracer looked confused.

"Never mind," Scout said. "Anyway, I just saved your life! Show me a little love 'ere!"

"You only did it once! And I would have noticed that sniper anyway!"

Scout grinned. _Sure you would have_ , he thought.

"And I could never like a murderer!"

"Ah, I only murder bad guys. The good guys, the gals, the dogs and cats, the birds and the bees, I never lay a finger on them. But when bad dudes start trying to rape and murder this world's pretty women, well, I just can't allow that to happen, can I, Cheesecake?"

Tracer blushed a little. She was a little flattered, she admits, but he's way too macho and disgusting to really be a nice guy. Isn't he? Or is there more to him than there appears to be? Just then, he tossed her a rose that he plucked off the dead guy. Tracer caught it, still blushing. _Does he does this to every girl he meets, or does he really have a thing for me?_ She thought. _Maybe there is a much sweeter side to him. Maybe I just need to give him a-_ "

"Well, see you back at Watchpoint!" Scout shouted before sprinting off.

Snapping back to reality, Tracer growled, "Why you little-!" and turned on her accelerator, ready to strangle the little Bostonian brat.

* **As of TF Comics #6, Jeremy as Scout's first name is now canon. However, I made up Scott as his last name. If and when Valve ever puts out an official last name for him, I will correct this.**

 **You've probably noticed that there's no real hurt and drama in this chapter. The title and description isn't misleading, I'm just saving it for a later chapter. I wanted to spend this one building up Scout and Tracer's relationship. Even though they will not be lovers, I still wanted them to have some sort of chemistry. Namely, that they would have ended up together if Tracer was straight. But that sort of story takes time to tell.**

 **I have to admit, this chapter is longer than I expected it to be. I literally just sat down at my computer and just typed whatever came into my head. I like to edit my work as I go along, rather than scripting it out first and THEN editing the whole thing later.**

 **Also, I know that breaking the fourth wall isn't really Scout's thing, but I just had to do it that one time.**


	3. Chapter 3: Interactions

" **ScoutDeadpoolJr confirmed?" –GamePhysics  
HAHAHAHA No.**

" **There's still the possibilty that Tracer's bisexual. Still, I doubt she'd cheat on her girlfriend regardless." –dudedaniel  
And even if she did, do you think she'd cheat on her with someone from another video game?**

"Winston, you have GOT to do something about those mercenaries!"

"They have no standards!"

"No honor!"

"No ethics!"

"I almost brought one of those Talon agents back to life just to apologize to him!"

"I refuse to work with a soldier who fights while completely naked and covered in honey!"

Everyone looked at Soldier 76 as if he had just grown a tail. "I wish I was making that up," he said, noting their facial expressions.

"Now, now, everyone!" Winston shouted, just outside of Watchpoint's mess hall. "Our battles recently have gotten much more bloody, I admit, and indeed it seems like our new…recruits…have been taking a few laughs at our enemy's expense…"

( _Flashback_ )

" _Woo-hoo!" Engineer shouted after his sixtieth sentry kill. "Makin' bacon! Hey, monkey man! Have some ice cream!" He tossed a Reese's ice cream bar in the direction of a vomiting Winston, who quickly turned around to look at it. A smile slowly grew on his face._

( _End Flashback_ )

"Hmmm, that tasted great," Winston muttered under his breath. "Anyway, as far as honor is concerned, Pharah, yes, I had to do some bribing to get them to do this…"

( _Flashback, 2Fort 1978_ )

" _No way, partner," Engie said. "We're not heroes. We're mercenaries."_

" _Dat's right!" Scout shouted. "We're just bad guys who get paid to fuck up worse guys."_

 _Winston cringed, clearly unhappy with Scout's choice of words._

" _What motivates you to do what you do, then?"_

" _Well," Engie said. "Our bosses do make us enormously wealthy just for killing off their enemies for them…"_

" _That's settled. We'll double whatever you're getting paid."_

" _Really?"_

" _Mm-hmm. Just don't kill anyone in the Overwatch. Only our enemies."_

" _Ya got it, partner. Hey, everyone! Pack yer bags! We're goin' to the future! WHOO-HOO!"_

( _End Flashback_ )

"I still don't know where we're gonna find that money. Oh well, it's not like they can go back anyway. I have to open the portal do so. They have no idea how to do that."

"So," Pharah droned on, "Why did you hire those freaks if you knew who and what they were?"

"Because, for all their faults, they have been doing us a great favor lately. We have been scoring sweeping victories lately that we haven't been doing before they came."

"I agree," Symmetra added. "And not all of their tech is out-of-date. I'm still wondering how their Engineer was able to build his dispenser and teleporter systems."

"Seconded," Trobjörn added.

Zarya, Reinhardt, and Junkrat also agreed, as they enjoyed working with their new teammates as well. Of course, some still had their doubts.

"What about the damage this does to our reputation?" Genji asked. "We don't exactly have the best relationship with the world right now. There's lots of people and governments out there that want to shut us down. This might give them more reason to think that."

"Well, I would like to hear them say that when Talon is six feet under!" Winston said. "For all their problems, they do seem to be making world peace more of a reality than a dream."

"As long as we keep outbidding them," D. Va coldly said.

"Relax. They're good guys at heart. And even if they do turn, we can easy turn them back over, like we did with Widowmaker," Winston said while opening the Mess Tent door. "Besides, they couldn't possibly get any more deplorable."

Just as soon as he opened the door, the Overwatch saw Heavy, Soldier, Demoman, Engineer, and Pyro sitting around a table playing what appeared to be a game of Risk. Not noticing the Overwatch coming in, the game resumed.

Soldier threw his dice onto the table and easily won Eastern Canada from Engineer.

"Awww! That just ain't right!"

"Man up, maggot! I now have all of North America under my control! I will make Canada great now!"

"You only won because of that extra dice that I still think you cheated from me."

"Oh, quit whining, maggot, and pay up!"

With a sigh of defeat, Engie reached into his wallet and threw a $20 bill onto the table.

"Come on, maggot, pay in full."

Sighing again, Engie threw in another 10.

Giving Winston the evil eye, Pharah growled, "'Couldn't possibly get any more deplorable'? These guys are _gambling_. _In our mess tent_."

"Now cut that out!" Winston shouted. "We do not allow such atrocious acts to happen in our mess tent!"

"Oh yeah?" Soldier growled. "Well, I'd like to challenge you to a wrestling match this Friday over whether we can do this not!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Engie shouted, pulling Soldier away. "Hey look, buddy. This isn't harmful. It's just a little fun we like having. There's nothing that goes wrong from a bit of money throwing." He then took out his wallet, only to see that he didn't have any money in it. "Damn it. Is there a U.S. Bank here in Gibraltar?"

Tracer rolled her eyes. _Does he not realize the irony of that statement?_

"Gambling is dishonorable," Genji stated. "It turns good men into complete scoundrels. Lots of money is lost for no reason, and it also promotes alcoholism," she said, staring at a very drunk Demoman. "We cannot allow such acts to continue in here, Winston. This is an Overwatch base, not a casino. And even if it was, I would not allow such vile, disrespectful, blind-to-all-integrity acts- _Will whoever is making that loud thumping noise quiet down?!_ "

Everyone in the room quieted down. They did hear a loud noise rattling through the building. It sounded a bit like…drumming. But who-?

"Ah, that's probably Scout," Engie said. "He loves practicing his instruments and I guess he choice to play his drums this time around."

"So your runner is musical, huh?" Pharah asked bluntly.

"Yep. Listens to rock and roll every day. Practices every riff, beat, and phrase he hears on his instruments. I can play guitar myself, but I am nowhere is skilled as that boy is-"

"Winston, where is he?" Pharah shouted.

"7G."

"I'll take care of it," Pharah said, storming off. Mei and Tracer followed after her.

In Room 7G, which used to be a storage room before the Teufort nine came in, Scout was plugging away on his drum set. He had a huge collection of vinyls and CDs, almost all of which were rock albums and singles. He was playing Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick" on his drums. The song itself had actually stopped eight minutes ago, but Scout kept drumming, turning his simple practice session into a lengthy drum solo, which was turning out really well. Not to toot his own horn, but Scout was very impressed with how he was doing (Oh, of course he would toot his own horn at that. He's Scout. What are you gonna do?). What he really liked was after years of practicing, he was finally able to produce clean bass drum beats and clean hi-hat taps at the same time, all while his arms were flailing around each and every drum and cymbal on his rack. He felt like he could keep doing this forever.

Or at least until Pharah pounded on his door. Scout didn't hear her over his drumming, so he kept playing. He didn't even notice that anyone was at his door until Pharah kicked it down.

"Gaaaaah!" Scout looked up, startled. "What da hell was that crap? I was playing music!"

"You call that music?" Pharah shouted. "Pounding on 100-year-old instruments is not music!" She looked around his room and noticed all the instruments Scout had. There were several guitars. Electric, acoustic, and bass. There was a rig in the corner with an electric piano and some synthesizers. She could see a harmonica on Scout's desk and a saxophone on its' side. "So, you play music, eh? Well, you better put a cork on it because nobody in here wants to hear it!"

"It's a solo! You just make it up as you play! People love drum solos! People pay top dollar at concerts to see drum solos!"

"It's no wonder," Pharah went on. "You're from the 1970's. Everyone was on drugs at that time. They'd pay top dollar to see a losing distance runner struggle to beat his opponents!"

Scout opened his mouth and flushed in fury as Mei cracked up laughing behind.

"Now stop that infernal racket or I will rain down justice from above!" And with that, Pharah stormed off.

Frustrated, Scout threw his drum sticks towards his desk and plopped down on his bed, sulking at the bitter unfairness of it all.

Just then, Tracer walked into his room. She stepped over the broken-down door and muttered, "Gotta get Trobjörn to fix that." She then walked over to Scout. Scout looked up. This was the first time he had seen Tracer not angry at him. Frankly, she actually looked impressed.

"Was that really you playing the drums?" She asked.

"Yes," Scout replied through gritted teeth. "And I wasn't playing da drums. I was _drumming_. 'Playing the drums' is making noise on them. 'Drumming' is making music."

"Fine," Tracer said, a bit irritated at the Grammar Nazi. "Despite what she said, I think you sounded bloody good, love."

Scout looked up, taken aback by her words. "Really?"

"Yes," she said. "It takes real skill to do what you just did. I wish I could do that." She looked around, noticing the other instruments in his room. "Can you play all of these?"

"Yeah, totally!" Scout said. He then got up out of his bed and put his Fender Telecaster on, plugging it into a large pedalboard he had, and then into his amp.

"What are these things?" Tracer asked, pointing at the pedals.

"Those are effects pedals," Scout said. "When I want my guitar to sound differently, I run it into these pedals and they alter the sound in the own unique way. Here, lemme show ya." He then played the "Heartbreaker" riff on his instrument as it was. "Now, lemme turn on this distortion pedal, and it'll sound like this." He played the riff again, this time in a much more distorted sound. It was so loud and dirty that Tracer had to cover her ears. "Now let's add a little Wah to the mix," producing yet another cool sound. "And now some Delay…" "And then Chorus…" "And finally a little extra Reverb."

"Wow!" Tracer was now amazed. "I didn't know you could do all that yourself!" She said.

"Myself?"

"Yeah! We have guys playing guitar these days who do just that, but have a bunch of technicians and sound engineers to produce those effects! I didn't know you could do all that by yourself!"

Of course, not everyone was amazed. Downstairs, an irritated Genji sighed and said, "What is he doing up there?"

"Now I will show you some real music," Scout said. He grabbed one of his CDs and put it in his disc player.

"Holy smoke! Look at all these vinyls and CDs!" Tracer shouted. "Scout, do you have any idea how rich you are?!"

"What?"

"We no longer have physical music here in 2077. It's all digital now. Vinyls and CDs are very sought-after collector's items! They can sell for HUGE amounts of money!"

"Holy crap," Scout said. "Maybe I should do it. Ah, but then I'd have to spend that money to buy all the digital versions." He then pushed play on his CD player, and he played along to the song that came on. That song was "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest. Getting up in front of his microphone, Tracer noticed the Beatles T-shirt he was wearing.

" _There I was completely wasted, out of work and down/All inside it's so frustrating as I drift from town to town."_

" _Feel as though nobody cares if I live or die/So I might as well begin to put some action in my life."_

Tracer was amazed at what a great singer he was. Despite his relatively high voice, he was capable of hitting those very bottom notes in the chorus of " _Breaking the law, breaking the law!_ "

Throughout the day, he continued to impress Tracer with his skills. He played Metallica's "Master of Puppets" quite flawlessly on his guitar. He played Pink Floyd's "Money" on his bass, John Lennon's "Imagine" on his piano, Bruce Springsteen's "Jungleland" on his sax, and even played his acoustic guitar and harmonica on Neil Young's "Heart of Gold."

Despite the music being quite old, Tracer really enjoyed it. All the music she could have been listening to, all the instruments she could have played, it was starting to make her feel jealous. Very much in the same way that Scout was jealous of her enhanced speed capabilities. _Holy crap_ , she thought. _Do we really have that much in common? Holy crap, am I sounding like him?!_

By now, it was very late at night. But Scout was still playing. He was playing the ending solo to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." Just like with "Moby Dick," he was jamming out. The song had ended on his CD player, but he kept going. He would never stop. At least not until the power in his room was abruptly shut off. Now there was nothing coming out of his amp. Frustrated, Scout looked at the yellow-spandex-wearing girl in the room.

"Don't look at me, love!" She shouted. "I would never do that! I love hearing you play!"

"Zat's right, Herr Scout," a groggy Medic said, standing by his door. "Zome of us are trying to sleep at 10:00 PM."

"Doc?!" Scout shouted. "You did this?!"

" _We_ did this," Dr. Angela "Mercy" Ziegler said, also standing by the door. "All of us need our rest. Even you. Now put down your guitar and get _zu bett_."

"But I-"

"No buts, young one. Go to sleep."

"Five more minutes!"

" _Jetzt_!" Both of them said in unison.

" _Geh ins Bett,_ " Medic said.

" _Gleichfalls_ , Tracy," Mercy responded. Then they walked off.

Groaning, Scout took off his guitar and set it down. Then he started to walk out of the room. Sensing trouble, Tracer followed.

"Scout? Where are you going, love?"

"I'm gonna go teach them to cut off my practicing."

"Scout, no." Tracer sighed. "It's not worth it! You can do it some more tomorrow. Scout, _noooo_ ," she said, as Scout was just about to pound on Sector 2319, Mercy's sick bay. Medic had moved in there as well.

As she spoke, she realized, _My God. I sound like his sister. If he's ever had one, that is._

Strangely, Scout listened to her. He put his fist down and instead walked towards the mess hall. Once again, Tracer followed.

In the mess hall, which was now completely empty, Scout walked towards the soda fountain. He was disappointed by the severe lack of Bonk! Atomic Punch there. "Well," he said to Tracer, "At least you guys still have Dr. Pepper in the 21st Century," he said, picking up a glass and pouring some for himself.

"Scout, it's 10:15 at night. Should you really be drinking that now?" Tracer asked, once again in a sister-like voice.

"Calm down, Tracy. This caffeine does almost nothing to me. That's why I drank bonk so much. I just drink soda for its' taste."

 _Tracy?_ She thought. _Who does he think I am, his sister?_ She paused. _Then again, I am starting to act like it, aren't I?_ Sighing, she took another glass and poured herself some Crystal Pepsi.

"Crystal Pepsi?" Scout asked. "What's that?"

"It's Pepsi, but as a clear drink."

"You mean like Sprite?"

"Yeah, like Sprite."

"When was it invented?"

"It first came out in the 1990's, so after your time. It did very poorly, and it was quickly discontinued. However, it was brought back in the 2010's, and it has remained here ever since."

"Can I try some?"

"Sure," said Tracer, handing her glass to him. _Bloody hell, did I just hand over my glass to him and let him drink out of it?_

She did indeed. "Woo!" Scout shouted after taking a sip. "You're right. It does taste like Pepsi and Sprite combined. I like it." He handed her glass back, but she wasn't sure if she still wanted it now. _Oh, what the hell_ , she thought, drinking it.

They sat around drinking for a bit longer. Then Tracer broke the silence and said, "You know, Scout. You're actually a pretty sweet guy."

Scout grinned, but he was also surprised to hear her say that. "I thought you didn't like being around me."

"I didn't think so, either. I thought you were pretty disgusting, perverted, and insane. I still have problems with the way you handle fights…"

( _Flashback_ )

 _Scout and Tracer sat crouched behind a rock, hiding from incoming fire from a Talon soldier._

" _Give it up, kid!" The soldier shouted. "Your weapons are old pieces of shit and you can't even hit the broad side of a barn!"_

" _Well, that's only because I'm too busy hitting the broad side of your mom!" Scout shouted, firing back._

 _Tracer rolled her eyes._ Can't he be serious for like, 30 bloody seconds?!

 _Before that question could be answered, Scout stood up and killed the soldier with a clean headshot._

 _As Scout walked over to see his handiwork, with a shocked Tracer besides him, he grinned and said, "Well, that hit the spot."_

( _Flashback ends_ )

"But I guess, now that I've taken some time to know you, you're actually a pretty nice guy. It seems like you really do treat women with respect and dignity."

"I try, but it doesn't usually lead me anywhere."

"Take it from a girl, Scout." She paused for a minute. "No pun intended. Ladies just tend to be turned off by your rather disgusting demeanor that they would leave you before you even have a chance to prove yourself. I'm guessing I'm the first one who's done that."

"Yeah, you are. I do try to be a nice man, though."

"Sometimes a little too hard. But I like you. I'm actually quite jealous of your musical skills."

"Really? I'm jealous of your speed skills and weaponry! They're so much better than mine!"

"I know," she said, grinning. "I'm running circles around you." She then gasped, realizing what she just said.

"Hey-Hey!" Scout said, grinning and pointing, "You sound just like me!"

"I do NOT!," she shouted, blushing. "That was my…my…(sigh)…OK, I guess I do sound a bit like you."

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes. Then Tracer broke it by saying, "Tell you what. I'll fix you up with some of this equipment and teach you how to run faster on one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Teach me music."

"Really?"

"Yeah! You think I'm gonna just stand aside and let you be better than me at something? No, forget it. You teach me how to become a rock star and I'll teach you how to be a speed-of-light sprinter."

Scout stood and thought for a moment. "OK, deal."

"Shake on it."

Scout held out his hand, and Tracer gave him hers in return. They shook, keeping their eyes on each other as they did so.

"Cheers, love. Now let's get to bed. If I'm gonna beef you up, I want us to get in a workout early next morning, before everybody else wakes."

"Sounds good," Scout said. "Let's go to bed."

"Alright."

They walked upstairs to Room 7G. The door was still kicked down.

"I promise to get that fixed for you tomorrow," Tracer said.

"No problem. Hey, if I need you, where's your room?"

"You can find me in Room 628. But…" she said grabbing his arm. "Knock first, and only when I'm awake."

"You bet!"

"Good," she said smiling. "Well, good night, love!" And then she left.

"See you tomorrow!"

Scout turned and walked to his bed. He set his Dr. Pepper glass on the table next to it and climbed in. _Wow. I might actually be able to live a life with her. Now that Miss Pauling has dumped me, I'm free to do whatever I want. I think I might be starting to fall in love with her. We're actually not different. Oh well, don't ask just yet. You need to build up more of a relationship with her before you can ask her big questions like that._

And with that, Scout fell asleep.

 **Yeah, the title and description is still a little misleading, but again, I'm trying to set up a believable situation for these two so that it would make sense for Scout to be very depressed later on.**

 **I wish to point out that Scout has no musical abilities in TF canon. I made that up for this fanfiction. I did this for a couple of reasons. One, to give Tracer something about him to be jealous of, since, as far as I know (remember I don't have the best knowledge of Overwatch), she isn't very skilled musically, either. Also, I wanted to do something unexpected with Scout. Give him some abilities that no one would ever think that he would have. The latest TF comic shows him as not being able to read or write so well, so it would come as a surprise to see him playing a guitar like ringing a bell.**

 **The part with the Crystal Pepsi I just now added in. I was inspired to do that after I just found out that it's coming back again. It makes me wonder if it'll still be in production during the time period that Overwatch takes place in.**

 **Finally, I do know that some of the songs that Scout plays, like "Breaking the Law" and "Jungleland" came out after the time period that TF2 takes place in. Even CDs didn't exist in the 1970's. I don't expect that many TF2 and OW fans know that much about music, so I don't expect many to correct me. And even if they do, so what? It's my fanfiction. I can do what I want with it.**


	4. Chapter 4: Tracer Drops the Bomb

" **I would like to point out that Genji is MALE! That is why he's referred to as Hanzo's brother you DUMMKOPF!" –TerrorCooper**

 **My fault. Blame the dummkopf who didn't spell check his story before publishing it.**

Scout lay asleep in his bed in 7G. He growled and kicked his legs in his sleep as though he were a dog. This usually meant that he was having a good dream. And he was.

 _He was running through the grounds on 2Fort again. Only this time, I was so much stronger and faster than he was before. His enemies on the BLU team were underestimating him, and he used this to his advantage. Clean headshots and Sandman hits were never in short supply, and he was running faster than he had ever ran in his life. There was no way he was going to lose. Not this match, and not any match ever again. He was now just too quick._

 _As usual, the RED Team had won, and it was all thanks to the Scout. The other guys were just a bunch of lazy pricks who had no idea what the fuck they were doing. Now, with the victory at 2Fort settled, it was time for him to head off to his rock concert._

 _His new band, The Sprinters, had just scored their first big hit, "Run Away," and today was the start of their first world tour. It kicked off here in Badlands, New Mexico. The concert was sold out. The arena was packed. Thousands of people had come to listen to him sing and play guitar. And thus, it was his duty to deliver on what he had promised._

" _I heard you crying loud, all the way 'cross town."_

" _Cause you've been searching for that someone."_

" _And it's me out on the prowl."_

 _That was the tune of their current big hit, "When I Come Around." He could have sworn someone had played it before them, but he just couldn't remember that band's name. What was it? Blue Day? Green Month? Who knew?_

 _It seemed like nothing could or would go wrong here. The crowd was cheering. For once, there were people who loved him. People who paid to see him. Could life get any better than this? He didn't think so._

 _After finishing their current number, he was ready to jump into the audience and do a little crowd-surfing. But just then, his drummer had been stomping on his bass drum very loudly. It was so loud, he could feel it thundering inside of him. The drummer raised his sticks, ready to perform a loud crash, and Scout knew that it would be loud and very painful on the eardrums. He braced himself for the impact…_

CRASH!

" **AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

Scout jerked awake in his bed, the crowd suddenly vanished, and was replaced with Tracer standing beside his bed, holding a drumstick in one hand, and a crash cymbal from Scout's drum set in her other hand.

"WHAT DA HELL WAS DAT CRAP?! I WAS ASLEEP!"

"You said you wanted me to help beef you up, didn't you, love?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then we better get bloody moving. It's 5:30 in the morning. We gotta start working out before everybody else wakes up. And we have a free day today so we better get as much in as we can. Now get up, you lazy bum!" And then she ran off.

Scout groaned. _How the hell is she so hyper?_ He thought as he rolled out of bed and onto the floor. _There is no way anyone in their right mind would want to get up at-_

"Scout? Come _ON_. We don't have all morning!"

"All right, all right! I'm coming! Don't get so pushy!"

Scout reached around his room, finally finding some clothes to change into. These would do nicely for an early morning workout, assuming, of course, that they would shower after they were finished.

Finally getting himself together, he headed down to Watchpoint's weight room, where the lady sprinter was waiting.

She was bouncing around the room, careful to bump into any heavy weights, of course. Scout couldn't tell if she was bouncing to a song playing in her head (which he often did), or if she was just growing impatient with waiting for him. The expression on her face suggested impatience.

" _There you are!_ We've wasted enough time already! Let's get moving!" Scout was about to blurt something out, but thought better of it.

"Now, first thing we need to do, love, is get in a good warm-up. We don't want those muscles of yours getting strained, now do we?"

"OK, how do we start?"

"We stretch."

And so they began stretching out their arms, legs, even their necks. Tracer suggested that rolling your head around your neck helps to get rid of the sore spots and cramped muscles in your neck. It also made the loud _crick_ noise that was always so satisfying to hear, if not so much to feel, as Scout learned the hard way.

After all the stretching was done, Tracer made Scout lift some dumbbells to test out his arm strength. The max he could lift was 30 pounds.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You gotta do better than that, love, if you want to be a strong man," she said before picking up a 55-pound dumbbell and lifting it with ease.

Clearly jealous, Scout blurted out, "Yeah? Well…I've picked up 55 pounds before!"

"Really?" Tracer asked in disbelief.

"Yeah! In England!" Scout said, while doing an air rimshot with his hands and laughing. Tracer huffed, then gave a fake laugh.

"Very funny. Now let's get to the bench press."

To her surprise, Scout was actually very skilled at the bench press. He could lift up to 90 pounds on that thing, whereas Tracer could only do 80. She was a bit jealous, but more worried about his safety, as he was lifting such a heavy barbell. As a precaution, she stood by as a spotter for the young Scout.

The rest of the workout involved things such as chin-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, the usual shit. They tried staying quiet to avoid attracting attention, but, unknown to them, they woke up Junkrat, whose room was next to the weight room. He was about to barge in, but thought he was going insane once he saw Scout doing a pushup with Tracer sitting on his back.

"Come on, ya punk! Give me 18!"

"Aw, geez. I'm TRYIN'! Having you sit on me makes this harder, ya know!"

 _Oi, I have gotta stop drinking so late_ , Junkrat thought as he walked back to his room.

After finishing their workout, it was 10 until 7:00. The rest of the team was due to start waking up soon. And they would surely get kicked out of the mess hall if they both went in smelling like a B.O. truck took a dump on them. So, they went back to their bedrooms to get cleaned up.

Standing outside Room 628, Tracer noticed that Scout had followed her. "Scout," she asked suspiciously, "Don't even think about-"

"Oh no," Scout said. "No, I wasn't gonna spy on you in the shower. I just wanted to say thanks for doing this. I feel like I really need to do more of these, and, as much as I hate to say this, it's worth getting up so early in the morning for."

"Oh," she said, clearly taken back by his unexpected thank-you. "You're welcome, love. Now why don't you go clean yourself up? It's a free day for us today, and I'm sure there's a huge breakfast waiting for us downstairs." Just as Scout turned to go back to 7G, Tracer added, "Oh! Almost forgot! Don't forget to give me music lessons today!"

"I won't!"

"Good! See you later!"

Groaning, Scout walked back to his room. He was good at playing music, but he never thought that he was a very good teacher. It was now 7:00. He took a sniff of himself, and even he had to admit he needed a shower. So he got in, and using his old-fashioned soap and shampoo, got cleaned up, removing any last trace of body odor.

By the time he got himself dressed and ready to head down, it was 7:20. Walking past Tracer's room, he heard her shower _still_ running. _What the hell?_ Scout thought. _How much time do ladies need in there? WHAT are they doing in there? And why do they need 20 different shampoos? What the hell is Tracer doing in the shower, naked…covered in…soap…dripping-NO NO NO! Snap out of it!_ He thought, while smacking his forehead. _She's just a friend of yours. You do not feel anything towards her in the sex category. Mmmm….the sex category-STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT! Grow up!_ He then felt a little tingling in his…nether regions. Flushing in embarrassment, Scout run off before he felt…it…getting harder.

He ran into his room, and slammed the door behind him. He was breathing heavily now. Inside, he was beating himself up for his lewd thoughts. _What da hell was dat crap? When will you learn that you're not supposed to fuck a girl just because she looks hot and wears a uniform that shows off her butt and other…features-CUTITOUT!_ _I don't feel this way towards her because of her body or appearance. I like because she's a good friend and because she's so kind to me and is the first person to truly recognize my musical abilities…_ His hard spot faded, to his relief, but there was no denying it now. He was starting to fall in love.

He headed down to the mess hall. Not very many noticed him enter, but he did catch a few suspicious eyeballs staring at him, notably from the ladies of the Overwatch. D. Va and Mei gave him some _don't get your hopes up, buddy_ glances, while Mercy just seemed to shrug, and Pharah was shaking her head in dismay.

As usual, Scout loaded up on everything. He took some pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, fruit (which was a bit unusual for him), along with some cream cheese and peanut butter (of which Winston usually took the most. Thank God he hadn't shown up yet), and of course, the large glasses of milk and orange juice.

The fact that he got fruit seemed very out of the ordinary to the RED Team. Scout could see at least Heavy, Demoman, and Sniper all giving him weird looks because of it. Scout usually avoided vegetation. So much so that the Medic eventually had to start force-feeding multivitamins down his throat, to prevent malnourishment. However, Scout didn't see any of this as a big deal. He got some fruit, big whoop. Nevertheless, he was annoyed by the constant staring. "What da hell are you all looking at?" He shouted. Every staring at him quickly turned away, going back to eating their own food.

Just then, Tracer sat down next to him, along with a loaded plate, just like Scout's. Neither of this saw this as very unusual. However, now it was the Overwatch's turn to look strange. Tracer never ate that much food for breakfast. Frankly, she was the exact opposite of Scout, only taking the fruits and vegetables, with a piece of toast and the occasional slice of bacon or sausage, depending on how she felt about her waistline.

But neither of them found this strange. They did, however, find the staring to be off-putting. Both runners gave their teams the evil eye, prompting everyone to look away and start whispering amongst each other.

"Ugh," Tracer said, rolling her eyes. "This is getting so annoying."

"I agree," Scout said. "Wanna go eat someplace where we can have a little more privacy?"

 _PRIVACY?!_ Everyone thought. _Oh, this can't be…_

"I would. Let's go up to your room."

That phrase made Genji choke on the piece of English muffin that he was eating. As the two left the mess hall, everyone turned to stare at one other, but no one had the courage to say anything.

After finishing breakfast, Tracer handed Scout something he had never seen before: A bag of cheesecake M&M's.

Bewildered, Scout asked, "Cheesecake M&M's?"

"Yep. They're so yummy. I wanted you to have some. What's wrong? You had M&M's back in the 1970's, didn't you?"

"Well yeah, but we only had one kind: The original ones. There was some talk about M&M's with peanuts in them coming out, but-"

"They did."

"Really?"

"Yeah! In fact, M&Ms, and just about every other candy out there, come in many styles. There's peanut, dark chocolate, peanut butter (don't let Winston have any), almond, pretzel, coconut, and now cheesecake. It's new."

Scout picked one up and tried it. It was very sweet, but it tasted phenomenal to him. This was unlike anything he had ever had before in his life.

"So, every candy out there has is like this, several different varieties?"

"Yep. M&M's, Hersey's bars, Reese's, Twix, Butterfingers, you name it. And it's now just candy. Everything is like this. Chips, sodas, coffee, the works."

"Wow. We only had one back in the '70s: The originals."

"Well, aren't you glad you now live in a time where you can get all this?"

"Yeah! I love this! Being in the future is such a breath of fresh air! No more stupid gravel wars, no more Mann bros, no more annoying people around me..." He suddenly stopped short to remember something. "Aw, crap…"

"What is it, love?"

"I didn't tell my ma where I was going. I need to go back to the 1970's just tell her where I'm gonna be. Otherwise she's gonna panic and freak out every day for the rest of her life and I don't want her to do that."

"Well, I'm sorry, Scout, but-"

"Please. Don't call me 'Scout' anymore, alright? I feel like it's just a label rather than a name. Call me Jeremy."

"Oh. I actually know how you feel, Jeremy. I don't know where they came up with the name 'Tracer' to be honest. So how about you call me Lena?"

"That's your real name?"

"Yeah. You didn't know that?"

"No. I thought everyone in the 2070's had weird names like 'Tracer' and 'D. Va' and 'Symmetra.' I thought that was standard for this time."

Lena laughed. "No, love. We're not _that_ crazy. We all still have real names. Winston is the gorilla's actual name. That's not just one that's made up. Same with Trobjörn."

Jeremy looked confused. "Trobj-Oh yeah. The Swedish chef."

Lena giggled. "Don't call him that, please. He doesn't like being compared to a sock puppet."

Jeremy grinned. "All right, if you insist."

"Anyway," Lena continued, "I'm sorry, but even though we have time-travelling portal technology, we can't use it very often. It's still very unstable. But don't worry. I promise we'll find a way to get you back in the past to reassure your mum that everything's alright."

"Thanks, Lena."

Quickly changing the subject, Lena said, "So, how 'bout you start teaching me how to rock?"

"OK!"

The first instrument he taught her was the guitar. Naturally, it was a very tricky instrument to learn, but Jeremy assured Lena that once you've got a good grasp on it, you can be amazing with it. He grabbed what he called, "The Introduction to Guitar Music" CD, which was actually just The Ramones' first album. That album's opening song, "Blitzkrieg Bop," had the most basic guitar line ever recorded. It was literally just three chords played over and over again for two minutes. The majority of the album was like that, with very few tempo and style changes, so it was good for beginners like Lena. They spent an hour running over this, before both agreed that it was time to call it a day.

Lena had to admit. Now that she had really gotten to know Jeremy, she could safely say that she was glad that she gave him a chance. He really made her feel happy and even important. Not very many people have come into her life making as big of an impact as Jeremy had. She was particularly touched by hearing him say how much he cared for his mother and that he didn't want her to have panic attacks over him.

After she left, Jeremy did a little victory dance. He now fully admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with Lena and felt that this was truly the beginning of something special. For once, he would not be rejected. For once, there was a girl who loved him. For once there was a girl who would gladly f-

"No, no, no," he continued saying. "Bad Scout. Don't even think about that. We've just now started to get to know each other. It doesn't matter if I'm ready. She's clearly not. I have to give it time. This all going by HER pace, not yours. She'll make the move when she's ready. You can wait forever for her. You have time."

Now Scout was happy with himself again. He felt that by lecturing to himself, he was able to control his more immature tendencies and not let them control him and cause him to say or do something stupid.

The next few days, then weeks, then months, played out pretty much the same as before, with early morning workouts, large breakfasts, music lessons, large lunches and dinners, and Lena sneaking Jeremy some candy, chips, or soda. Eventually, Jeremy had so much of this, that he felt that he had to hide it, or else someone would come by and steal it. To solve this, Lena asked Symmetra to design a special safe for him to keep his junk food locked away in. Symmetra delivered by presenting him a safe disguised as a Marshall guitar amp. It's numerous knobs (normally used for adjusting volume, bass, mid, treble, and other sounds) were the combination keys. Jeremy loved this, and instantly stored all of his snacks in there.

But try as they might, they had trouble keeping their new relationship a secret from the rest of their teams. Subtlety was never a strong suit for Jeremy, and it was becoming increasingly less strong for Lena, who always used to be a master at it. Eventually, Jeremy bought her a Gibson SG at a music store that just opened up not far from Watchpoint, and she used this to jam and out and practice along to The Ramones and AC/DC, which made her feel like a powerful rock star. At least until either Mei, D. Va, or Pharah barged into her room, demanding that she stop playing at 11:30 at night.

What's more, the teams couldn't help but notice both players increasingly changing personalities. The extra food for Lena and the extra vegetation for Jeremy was just the start. When fighting against Talon or other enemies, Jeremy began fighting in a much more subtle way, which involved much less over-the-top violence and corny one-liners. However, Lena seemed to be adding more of both of those to her fighting style. It wasn't quite as extreme as Jeremy's, but it was noticeable enough to the rest of the Overwatch and RED Team. Jeremy and Lena seemed to balance each other out to the point where everything they did was similar to one another. This sounds like something that easily gets blended in and goes unnoticed, but some people couldn't help but notice this.

The RED Team would constantly harass Jeremy about his new-found relationship, much to his displeasure. He didn't particularly care for his teammates using terms like "you lucky dog," or "go get 'em, Tiger" (which Sniper said before slapping him on his butt) or one certain phrase from Spy, "When can I expect grandchildren?"

Embarrassed and blushing, Jeremy shouted, "For the last time, _you are not my father!_ "

"Yes, you just keep telling yourself that. I have to admit, young man. You have done a great job seducing that little pixie. I guess anyone can get laid." Even Overwatch members like Zarya, McCree, and Junkrat gave him whistles and thumbs-ups whenever he passed.

Not everyone thought this was cute, though. Pharah, Genji, and Widowmaker would constantly "tsk" at either Jeremy or Lena, clearly disapproving of their apparent romance. Symmetra and Winston, however, were kind of "Meh" on the whole thing.

One night, just around dinnertime, Scout was in his 7G room, grabbing some peanut butter Twix out from his amp safe. As he walked out the door, he didn't notice two pairs of eyes looking into his room.

"Vhat did I tell you, Doktor?" asked Mercy. "Ze boy has some many sweets jammed in his safe."

"You're right, Dr. Ziegler." Medic replied with a grin. "As Doktors, ve should regulate ze boy's sugar intake. Ve don't vant him getting diabetes."

" _Du hast reich_ , Doktor Ludvig," said Mercy, also grinning and licking her lips in anticipation.

The two tried to hold back their giggling fit as they tiptoed into his room and opened his safe using Symmetra's blueprints, which had the combinations written on them. As Doctors, it was important to them that they watch their patients' sugar intake and regulate it so that the dear Scout doesn't eat too much because that would be bad for his-No, of course not. They didn't care about Scout's health. They just wanted to steal the sweets for themselves.

However, just as soon as the opened it up and leaned inside, they both found themselves getting pushed in all the way by some outside force. This outside force was Lena, who shoved them both into the safe and locked them in.

"Bloody hell, Jeremy was right. This is such good fun!"

"Lena?" A female voice from inside said.

"Zhis isn't funny!" A male voice shouted. "Let us out of here, _jetzt_!"

"Oh, I'll let you out. But first, I have a little surprise for everybody."

Off to the side, Scout gave her a thumb's up, and then ran out of his room and down to the mess hall. A few minutes later, he came back up, bringing everybody from the two teams up with him. Most were very displeased at being disturbed from their dinner for something seemingly non-important.

"Young man," Soldier 76 said, "You better have a good reason for calling us up here."

"Oh don't worry, old man. You're gonna love this," Jeremy said.

"Who are you calling an old man?!"

Genji rolled his eyes. "J., settle down. And you," pointing at Scout, "You better have a good reason, and you better make it quick."

"Lena?"

"Loves, it's showtime!" She opened up the safe, revealing Doctors Ludwig and Ziegler in a very…shall we say, compromising, position?

The two doctors looked incredibly lewd in the safe. The fact that Medic's hand was cupped in Mercy's breasts didn't help much, as did the fact that her knee was in his crotch. And their lips were just centimeters apart from each other. Space in the safe was so tight, they could barely breathe, much less move, so until they got some help, they would be stuck looking like they just got busted.

Unfortunately, help wasn't going to come anytime soon. Not with all the catcalls and cheering and wolf whistles (which Mercy swore came from Junkrat or Lucio) being directed at them. Jeremy and Lena were applauding at the two, which encouraged the others to follow suit.

Mercy's face could have been mistaken for a ripe tomato at that point. Medic, however, was getting very annoyed by all this. He sarcastically said, "Vhy don't you all take a picture? It vill last longer!" He quickly regretted saying this, however, once several flashes came across the two of them, followed by more catcalls and wolf whistles.

Medic groaned and blushed along with Mercy. _Never be sarcastic again,_ he thought. He was blushing not just because he was caught, but also because he was feeling particularly aroused by having her so close to him. And although he wouldn't hear her say this right now, she felt the same way. "Oh, and," Jeremy said, snapping his fingers. "I would like my M &M's back."

After last night's "fiasco" with the two doctors, Jeremy decided that he couldn't wait any longer. He had to tell Lena how he felt about her. He wouldn't say that he imagined them in the same position that Medic and Mercy were in, that would be too sudden and too creepy. But he had to tell her that he loved her very much, and that he felt like she was his soulmate. That did have so much in common, after all. She could have been the one girl that he had been waiting for his whole life. Looking back, he didn't think that he and Miss Pauling would have worked well together, even if Pauling was straight, or at least bisexual. Well, doesn't matter. Either way, he and Pauling were too different from each other. Lena, on the other hand, seemed an awful lot like him, very fast and funny, and also a real sweetheart when she needed to be. He couldn't wait anymore. He had to go to her room and tell her.

"OK," he said to himself. "Just be cool. That's the important thing here. Remain calm. Girls don't like guys who freak out. Also, don't immediately ask to be her boyfriend. Build up momentum. It's like putting a new fish in a tank. You can't just drop it in. First, you need to tell her how you feel towards her, so that it won't seem so creepy. Or too out of nowhere. OK, here I go."

He walked on down the hall, towards the room labeled 628. He couldn't help but think about what they could do if she said yes. They could buy a big house together. One by the ocean. Yeah, just the right spot. And it could be anywhere. Back home in Boston, out in California or Oregon, by the Pacific, even in her home country of Britain, if she wanted. And in this house, they could have their own weight room for morning workouts, and a home recording studio for music lessons. And a swimming pool, of course. They would need something to cool down after workouts. And of course, you can't have a swimming pool without a hot tub. That had to be in there. And what a room with a pool _table_? Yeah. Then after dinnertime, they could pop a couple of beers and play a few rounds of 8-Ball. And also a room with a huge TV in it. Now that Jeremy had seen home theater systems, he was convinced he needed one. And now that "home video" was a thing (it wasn't in 1978), they could watch any movies they wanted, whenever they wanted to.

Here he was. Now it was time to knock on the door and pour out his feelings towards her.

But he just couldn't bring himself to knock on that door. He hesitated, giving it second thoughts. What if she said no? What if she thought the exact opposite of him that he thought of her? No, she doesn't. She wouldn't think that way if she looked forward to workouts and music lessons with him. And she clearly did. But what if this would become a repeat with Miss Pauling, where she said she was a lesbian and had no feelings towards him? No, she clearly does have feelings. Pauling didn't.

 _Oh, come on!_ A voice in his head shouted. _She'll never know your feelings if you don't tell her! And if you wait too long, she will find someone else to love!_ "Right," Jeremy muttered. "I just have to tell her how I feel." _Careful,_ another voice said. _This is a very serious topic. Once you knock on that door, you can't chicken out. You have to stay there and say everything. As soon as you knock, you're in it, and you can't get out._

Taking a few deep breaths, Jeremy decided to do it. _Knock-knock-knock._ "Lena?" _Knock-knock-knock_ "Lena?" _Knock-knock-knock_ "Lena?" _OK. You've knocked on her door. There's no going back now. You have to stay until the end._

Jeremy was still breathing heavily as Lena opened the door. "Oh, hey love!"

"Hi," Jeremy said nervously.

"What's wrong? You look a little shook up."

"Y-y-yeah. There's, um, something I wanna tell you about."

Lena looked a little bit concerned, but said, "Um, OK. Come on in." Scout did as he was told.

Lena sat down on her bed and asked, "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, uh…" _Ask her how she feels. It's important to hear her point of view as well as yours._ "What do you think of me?"

Lena looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Like, do you…see me as a good friend?"

"Of course, love. I've told you before. You're such a great friend. And I am so grateful that you're in my life," she said, putting her hand on his back. Her hand felt warm. It truly did feel like he cared about her. "Why are you asking this?"

"Um…" _Just tell her the truth._ "All right, I'm gonna lay the cards on the table. I think you are the sweetest, kindest, and best person I have ever met in my life. I relate to you in so many ways, and I found that I also care very much about you, your health, and your safety. I admit, when we were first working together, I would often save your life just to boast and brag about it, but now, I do it because I really do care so much about you.

I also like how we have different accents. Your British accent and my Bostonian accent sound really weird against each other, but somehow they both just fit our personalities." Lena giggled at that.

"That's really sweet of you, love. I'm really flattered to hear you say that. I told you that you'd get girls to like you."

"Yeah, about that…" Jeremy said, pausing before continuing. "I came in here to ask you if I could be your boyfriend." _OK, that was good. You did it calmly. You spoke your feelings. It surely isn't going to seem weird now._

However, he quickly noted the expression on Lena's face. She looked a little nervous herself, as if she didn't know what to say. _Oh crap, I came on too strong, didn't I? I've botched this whole thing up now._

"Umm…Jer?"

"Yes, Lena?"

"I…have something that…I need to say…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I…I probably should have seen this coming…but…"

"But what?"

"You don't…um…feel any prejudice towards…people who are…gay…do you?"

Jeremy looked surprised to hear her ask that. "No, of course not! I don't think gay people are evil or immoral or whatever other sorts of bullcrap that those right-wing bigots like to say. I think I actually might be bisexual myself."

"Really?" Lena said, looking much more relieved now.

"Yeah. I mean, I've never been in love with a man, but I have felt some sort of attraction towards other guys, even my own teammates."

"Oh, well then, I should tell you that I'm a lesbian."

To Jeremy, that phrase hit him like a train. "You…you are?"

"Yes, love. I…have a girlfriend, even. Her name is Emily. We've been together for a few years now."

Jeremy couldn't believe it. Lightning struck twice. He had been rejected by a lesbian. Again.

Noting his pained expression, Lena quickly added, "But don't think this means I don't like you. I really do love you. Very much. Just not romantically. I see you more as like my little brother."

"It…it's OK," Jeremy said, trying his best to hold back the tears that tried to flow form his eyes. "It's…fine."

"Thanks for understanding. I'm really sorry about saying no, but please don't take it the wrong way. I still want you to be my close friend."

"It's fine. It's OK. I…need to go back to…my room now."

"All right! See you later!" Lena said cheerfully.

Scout walked back to 7G very slowly. His head down, and lacking the skip that he usually walked with. He was now sad. Very sad. Once he entered his room, there was no need to hold the tears back anymore. He decided to go ahead and let them flow down.

 _It's not your fault,_ the voice in his head said. _You did well. You did exactly as you were supposed to._

"Yeah, but even that still got me nowhere," Jeremy said, his voice breaking. "And it never will. I'm just an unlovable loser."

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. This is really where the "Hurt" part comes into place now. Sorry it took so long to upload. This was a chapter where the heavy drama really starts, so I wanted to make sure it was done right.**

 **Also, I would like to say that I can't draw. Or use Garry's Mod or Source Filmmaker yet. And I would like to see parts of my story here being made into pictures/artwork, posted on Deviantart, Tumblr, or any other artwork website. So if somebody here wants to do that, it would be appreciated.**

 **One last thing. The next chapter should be shorter, so I should have it up quicker than this one.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Downward Spiral

To the average person in the Overwatch/RED Team group, it seemed like nothing had changed from the night before. Well, expect for that encounter with the team's two doctors last night. Breakfast in the morning was now a little bit awkward because of it. But other than that, most people on the team didn't feel like anything had changed from the previous night. In fact, almost everybody woke up today feeling like it was like any other. Everybody except one.

Jeremy, one of the team's Scouts, came down this morning trying his damndest to conceal the broken heart that he was being forced to heal on his own. He wouldn't dare tell anyone about last night. Nobody cared about his pity parties, and nobody wanted to hear about them. Nobody wanted to hear about him being rejected by Lena "Tracer" Oxton, a lesbian that Jeremy fell in love with. And frankly, he really didn't want to ruin the mood either.

The mess hall in Watchpoint was, as usual, packed with people chatting loudly. Jeremy, however, didn't want to talk to anybody. He just got his food from Trobjörn, the Swedish Chef (who hated being called that), which was much less than he usually took. He wasn't very hungry right then. He walked over to an empty table. Good. He wanted to be alone. Thank God nobody was paying attention to him. For the first time in his life, he didn't want anyone to pay any attention to him.

Of course, he spoke too soon. Lena walked in at that moment and of course decided to sit right next to him. Her plate was loaded, like it had been recently. At first, she didn't take much notice of him. _Well, at least she won't ask me about last night,_ he thought. She didn't, but she did take notice at his small breakfast plate.

"Ya gotta eat more than that, love. You're gonna need your strength for our fight today."

 _Of course, we're fighting Talon today._ "I'm not hungry," was all he said.

"Doesn't matter. You need food in you," she firmly stated, before scraping some of her breakfast onto his plate. "Eat up," she commanded. Sighing, Jeremy did as was told of him. He figured Lena wouldn't get off his back until he ate his entire plate up.

Just a few tables down, McCree was flirting with Widowmaker, much to the latter's distaste and disgust.

"Oh, m'lady. I sure love mah French girls."

"I love French fries," Lena suddenly blurted out. Then she paused, as if expecting a huge laugh to what seemed to be a punchline. But nobody laughed. In fact, everyone looked at her funny.

"French _fries?_ " Mei asked, confused. "I didn't get it."

"Well, you didn't order any!"

 _Then_ the laughter came, from just about everybody in the mess hall. Even Jeremy chuckled a little bit at that one-liner.

Despite the laughter, everyone looked a little perplexed. It was usually Scout who said these witty punchlines, not Tracer. In fact, Scout seemed to be pretty out of it this morning. But everyone just as quickly shrugged it off. Guess it's just one of those days.

Jeremy excused himself pretty quickly. The first moment he could was when he finished eating everything on his plate. Lena wouldn't let him leave until he did so. Just like with coming in, nobody noticed when Jeremy left. He went back to his room, closing the door behind him and preparing for the day's activities, if you could call them that.

 _Will you get over it? So you fell in love with a lesbian and she said she didn't want you. Big deal. You've been through this before. Remember Miss Pauling?_ A voice in his head shouted at him.

"Yeah, I've been through this before. And I'll just keep continuing to go through it. It's already happened twice. How can I be sure it won't happen a third time?"

 _You don't know that. You're only 25. You've still got a lot of time left. Pauling and Lena aren't the only girls in the world._

"Yeah, but that's just it. I'm 25, and no girl has ever had even the slightest interest in me. And that's the problem. No girl wants me." He struggled to not start crying, since he couldn't have his teammates see him with red eyes, but by God, it was hard. "Even if Lena was straight, it wouldn't make a damn difference. She's faster than me, smarter than me, more powerful than me. Everyone on this team is. If I ever had a battle to the death against her, she would kick my ass in an instant. I've struggled to admit this, but now I have to: I'm weak. I'm stupid. Lena wouldn't want me even if she was straight."

Another day of fighting commenced, which continued like normal, with the RED Team being ultra-violent, and the Overwatch being disgusted at their antics. As usual, Lena and Jeremy worked together, but it quickly occurred to Lena that Jeremy was not his usual self this morning. He wasn't running out in the open, shooting guys in the head, and shouting witty remarks and their expense. In fact, he hardly spoke at all. Lena found herself cracking more jokes than him. Instead, Jeremy was sneaking around, and whacking guys in the back with his aluminum bat, which was hard enough to crack a guy's skull, but it was almost always used as a last resort, and not a main firing tool.

After returning to base, Jeremy quickly went back up to his room quickly, skipping out on a drinking game, hosted by Demoman and Junkrat, that was beinig held in the mess hall. He didn't come back down for the rest of the evening. Almost everyone became totally drunk before too long, and those who weren't (like Pharah and Genji) were too annoyed with these "immature stoner games" to notice that someone was missing.

Lena, however, did notice. It had been two hours, and Jeremy had not come back down. She was a little confused about his unusual behavior. She thought to herself, _Blimey. Jer is really out of the loop today. It couldn't be because I turned down his girlfriend request…Could it? No, of course not. Well, maybe he is…a little upset. After all, he did say that he fell in love with me. But…surely he's had rejections and breakups before, right? Yeah. Yeah, he has. This is nothing new to him. This doesn't feel like the world's gonna end. He's just under a little stress. He'll be over this by tomorrow._ Now she felt better, and decided to go up to her room as well. She had a couple of drinks, but decided it wasn't worth getting shitfaced. Especially when she saw how drunk some of her teammates were. Even '76 was starting to get in on some action.

She walked past his room, and heard a noise coming from it. She froze in her tracks and gulped a little bit and slowly stepped towards the door with the big 7G marked on it. Putting her ear on the door, she discovered that this noise was just a TV program.

"Of course, he has a TV in his room. He's just watching some shows." Then she heard what was actually being said.

" _Don't answer that! Do not answer that phone, Fozzie!"_

" _Oh, but Kermit, all these terrific funny things happen when I do answer it!"_

"I'm aware of that. _I'm aware of that, Fozzie. Is there no end to this running gag?"_

" _(Growling)"_

" _Well, I guess that puts an end to this running gag."_

" _Yeah, and also to all the incoming calls."_

Lena laughed. That's right, in honor of the series 100th anniversary, there was a big _Muppet Show_ marathon on TV. She was no longer worried. The Muppets made everybody laugh. Surely he was using such a joyful TV show to start feeling better. As she walked back to her room, she thought to herself, _He was around when the show first aired. I wondered how excited kids his age were whenever a new episode was coming on TV._

Unknown to her, Jeremy was not feeling any better, much to his displeasure. _Not even my favorite TV show, with all its' humor and one-liners, can cheer me up._ He never knew that Lena was standing outside his door, but just after she left, he turned the TV off.

His pillow was a little bit soaked from all of his tears, which he said he would only shed whenever he was alone. Nobody else could know about this. Especially not Lena. Then again, she probably wouldn't even care anyway. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, Jeremy fell asleep. He didn't remember when.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Next morning, Lena tried to wake him up at 5:30 for another workout, but Jeremy was uninterested. After 10 minutes of trying to wake him, Lena gave up. _That slacker. He wants to sleep in today. Well, yesterday was a little bit hectic. I should probably give him some time off._

A couple of hours later, Jeremy came down for breakfast. Once again, he took very little, and this time, he ate his food very quickly and left before Lena even came down. She spent quite a long time this morning in the shower. This time, though, Jeremy didn't have any perverted fantasies about it. In fact, he didn't think about it at all. He just ate his food and left the mess hall. A few of his fellow RED Team members were starting to notice this, some even growing concerned over this, but they were still convinced that this was temporary and not worth looking into.

Lena came down some time later, gathered up her food and walked over to where she and Scout usually sat, this time noticing that he wasn't there. She asked where he was, and Sniper said that he just ate quickly and left. Lena looked confused, but shrugged it off and decided to sit down and eat by herself.

After finishing breakfast, she went back up to her room. Once again, she passed by Scout's room, this time hearing him play a little music on his guitar. It was an electric guitar, but it wasn't an upbeat hard rocker or heavy metal song that he always loved playing. Instead, it was a slow, somewhat bluesy number, though like most of the songs he played, it was an old song, made long before Lena's parents were even conceived.

" _Take me down, little Susie, take me down/I know you think you're the queen of the underground._

 _Send me dead flowers every morning/Send me dead flowers by the mail._

 _Send me dead flowers to my wedding/And I won't forget to put roses on your grave."_

Lena had never heard this song before, but hearing Jeremy sing this song, with a voice that reeked of sadness, was not very pleasant. She was convinced that now something was wrong. Something possibly even connected to the events of the other night.

She didn't want to constantly nag him and ask for status updates, but she decided that she needed to keep a close eye on him now. After all, she looked at him as her own little brother. Isn't watching over your little brother something a big sister is supposed to do?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Weeks had passed. Jeremy's appearances were becoming less frequent and even shorter. By now, his fellow teammates, even his Overwatch ones, were noticing this. Some of them, particularly Dr. Ludwig ( **the Medic, and yes, as of TF Comics #6, Ludwig is his real last name** ), were even starting to get concerned over this. Ludwig was particularly worried because mental health was never a strong suit of his. Sure, his Medi-Gun could instantly heal up people and make them invincible, but he was never a very good psychologist or psychiatrist. Same with Mercy. She always felt a little embarrassed in that even though she could bring people back to life, she struggled to understand emotional health.

One morning saw Jeremy skipping breakfast entirely. Surprisingly, nobody noticed this until Lena pointed it out. After doing so, she immediately ran upstairs to his room to see if he was OK. Before she could knock on his door, she heard him playing music again. It was strange, because he never practiced in the morning. What was even stranger was that it was on an acoustic guitar instead of an electric. As she heard him sing an old folk song, she could hear, and feel, the sadness in his voice:

" _Here I stand, head in hands/Turned my face to the wall._

 _If she's gone, I can't go on/Feeling two foot small-all-all._

 _Everywhere, people stare/Each and every day._

 _I can see them laugh at me/And I hear them say-ay-ay._

 _Hey! You've got to hide your love away."_

Lena stood frozen in shock. This was truly a song over lost love. As usual, she had never heard it before, but it didn't take an expert in Beatles music to determine that he was singing about concealing the love he felt towards someone who had left him.

There just _had_ to be a connection here, Lena thought. "Ever since I came out to him, he's been acting this way. But why? All I did was say I was a lesbian, and that I had a girlfriend. I didn't say I hated him or wanted him to die, but this sure seems like I did."

She had to get some answers. She could not let this go unnoticed any longer. She cleared her throat and knocked on his door. Thankfully, she got a response.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

There was a pause. Then Jeremy spoke up again. "What is it?"

"Can…Can I come in?"

Jeremy sighed and then said, "Fine."

Lena opened the door. She found Jeremy sitting on his bed, with the acoustic guitar he was just playing with. He looked fine enough, but she couldn't help but notice some bags under his eyes, which were now a little red.

"What do you want?" He asked, with a voice that hinted aggravation and depression.

"You can't hide this forever, love. I know you're still sad over me saying no to being your girlfriend, but-"

"I'm not sad! You kiddin'? I can't possibly be on this team kickin' ass if I I'm so sad and weepy all the time," he said, trying as hard as he could do sound happy and energized, but Lena wasn't buying it.

"That's just it, love. _You're hiding it_. I know you are. You don't want anyone else to know about this, but it's becoming SO obvious that something's wrong. I mean, look at you! You're up here alone all day. You're barely eating. I can tell you're losing weight. Your eyes are red. You're singing sad songs on your guitar, and _is your pillow wet?_ " She asked, putting her hand on his pillow. "Are you _crying_?"

"No! Of course not! Heroes never cry! That's what you guys always say!"

Lena shook her head. "It's 'Heroes never _die_ ,' love. Heroes can cry, and I can tell that this is hard for you. But you know what? You've gotta get over this. It's not doing you any favors, and some of us are really starting to worry about you." She paused for a moment, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, love. You'll find someone someday. You just have to look and be patient." She paused again after hearing a lack of a response. "Oh, come here. Give me a hug." Jeremy did so, but he didn't really hold her tight. She, however, did.

As she prepared to walk out of his door, she said, "Well, see you soon! _And I know I will!_ " she said in a sing-song voice. Jeremy sighed. He did feel a little better after that pep talk, but still doubted himself, especially feeling weak and underpowered compared to her. He now fully came to terms with the fact that he suffered an inferiority complex.

As Lena walked back to the mess hall, she heard some voices talking, directly about Jeremy.

"Is there a McDonald's around here?" Sniper asked. "That was his favorite place to eat at. Maybe if we took him to one, it might make him feel better."

"Oh no," Genji said. "McDonald's went out of business not too long ago. There's none left on this entire planet."

"What?!" Soldier shouted. "McDonald's closed?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"

"Hey man," Engineer said. "Calm down." He seated Soldier in a chair. "But that is a good question. Back in 1978, McDonald's was the biggest restaurant in the world. And now, a hundred years later, it's gone? How? What ultimately took it down?"

"Well, from what I hear," Lucio said, "It was another burger place called Five Guys."

"Five Guys?" Sniper asked in confusion. "I've never heard of them."

"Apparently, nobody did," Lucio continued. "From what I hear about it, it sprung up overnight. Early 2000's. It quickly became America's new favorite burger joint."

"Oh, so they're American?" Soldier asked. "Good. I would never accept my country favoring a restaurant from the Soviet Union!"

Both Heavy and Zarya glared at him. They were not particularly fond of their home country being insulted by some white inbred "patriot."

"You know what the odd thing is, though?" Lucio continued. "It's the little things. Five Guys has the same shit that McDonald's had, but it's just, you know, a little different."

"Example," Sniper said.

"All right. Well, in Five Guys, you can walk into a restaurant and grab some peanuts. And I'm not just talking about a little paper cup. I mean a bowl full of peanuts. You can even order a quarter pounder with cheese at Five Guys, but they don't call it that over there."

"Well then, what do they call it?"

"A House Burger with Cheese."

" 'House Burger with Cheese?' " Engineer said.

"Yeah, they take pride in the fact that all their food is raised naturally with no chemicals or artificial growth hormones and that their meat is always fresh, never frozen, blah, blah, blah. They also like to shove in everyone's faces that your burger is made exactly the way you want, with all the veggies, sauces, cheeses, you name it. They have so much selection and variety there."

"And it's not just there that the food is made exactly as you like it," Mei suddenly interjected. "Every restaurant these days does that. MOD Pizza, Chipotle, Subway-"

"Subway?" Engineer asked, surprised. "You mean that local sandwich shop from Connecticut?"

"Yeah. They're now the biggest restaurant in the world."

Engie whistled. "I can't believe how much has changed since 1978."

"Yep," Mei said. "In fact, Subway are credited for being the reason behind the public's shift in taste from pre-made food to custom-order food. Our grandparents, the Millennials, loved these places. They were very picky about the food they ate. They would not even be in the same room as a container of MSG, but who can blame them, really?"

Over at the side, Lena was not so amused by this conversation. _I can't believe this. I have a very dear friend who might be suffering from depression, and I just wasted a bunch of time hearing about fast food. What a bloody idiot I am._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lena's pep talk with Jeremy did seem to have an effect on him. For a few days after that, he was feeling much better again. He was back to eating lots of food during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours, and was cracking jokes at his enemy's expense again. However, this didn't last long.

For a few weeks after that, it seemed like Jeremy was in his downward spiral of depression again. Often, it felt even worse than before. He rarely even spoke anymore, much less laughed or joked, he walked sluggishly everywhere, and during fights, he was getting hurt much more than anyone else. Medic and Mercy swore that they were healing him the most.

During another break moment, he didn't show up anywhere at all. For three days, the entire Overwatch RED Team saw absolutely nothing of him. Lena was starting to freak out now. Had her pep talk done nothing to help him? One night during dinnertime, she was frantically running around, searching for answers. Something was terribly wrong here. Why else would the young Scout isolate himself from everyone else like this? She tried and tried to think about what he could be going through right now, but she only came up blank. She knew that it was tied to her rejection to his relationship offer, but there had to be something more to it, she thought. That rejection was only the surface of his issues. There was more. But _what?_ And she had to think fast. She didn't know if this would lead to some rash action on his part.

She took a seat down to eat her dinner, which she only started eating at Pharah's demand that she calm down and get some fuel in her tank.

Just like before, other members were noticing Scout's odd behavior. Engineer and Winston were even talking about it.

"Has the boy ever felt like this before?" Winston asked.

"Not to this degree," Engie replied. "He did feel pretty sad sometimes. Man, I tell ya, that boy does a damn good job of bottling up his inner demons. He may appear to be smooth-talkin' and cocky, but that's only a mask he's wearing." Unknown to him, this caught Lena's attention. "The poor boy's been through so much pain in his life, that I wonder how he can remain so positive and energetic."

"Pain?" Winston asked. "Like what?"

 _Yeah_ , Lena thought. _Like what?_

"Well, for starters, his daddy left him when he was just a young boy. Man, that's always tough. Not being able to play ball with yer old man. And he's the runt of the little. Seven older brothers. And they were all bigger, stronger, and meaner than him. And they all competed for their ma's attention. Our young blood always got the cold shoulder. The least attention from his lovin' ma. He was also picked on and bullied by his older brothers, and all his schoolmates. I feel he suffers from some kinda inferiority complex. He always felt that way around us, despite me telling him that his quick speed was something none of us had. But now, thanks to your sprinters, and their advanced technology, this may have just made him feel even worse."

Lena was listening to everything. Now she was starting to put the pieces together. She was right. It was not just the rejection. There had been other things, other problems. Problems that he had been concealing and bottling up over the years. This had to have led to major stress and insecurities, and, she shuddered to think about it, maybe even suicide attempts. But Engie wasn't done yet. Neither was Winston.

"You still haven't answered my question. Has he ever felt like this before?"

"Well, one time, he had a fascination for our administrator's second-in-command. Her name was Miss Pauling. Man, it seemed like he really loved her. He bought her flowers, he bought her chocolates, he tried to invite her on dates, but she just didn't seem interested in him. We thought it was because of her being more focused with her duties to our old lady. Anyway, one night, she did say yes to one of his date offers."

"And…?"

"Well, from what I hear, Pauling revealed why she distanced herself from him. She came out as a lesbian to him, and didn't really love him. She was just avoiding him because she didn't wanna break his fragile little heart. I guess with his constant pestering, it was unavoidable. She felt guilty over breaking him so badly, but we assured her that it wasn't her fault. The kid was torn up, but he got over it quickly. I'm just glad he didn't feel any hate towards her or other gays after that."

Lena was shocked. "He was…" she said to herself. "Another lesbian…that he loved…So that's what…!" Now she was breathing quickly and her heart was beating even more so. She was starting to panic. She had to do something, and fast. Quickly glancing around to ensure that no one was watching her as she was freaking out, she ran out of the mess hall and up to Jeremy's room as fast as her legs and Chronol Accelerator could carry her.

She thought her earlier pep talk to him had helped, but she didn't know everything. She was only seeing a bit of such a large scope. Now she knew everything. Now she got the full picture. Now she had to do something before he did something very rash.

As she got to his door, she tried to open it, but… "What the-? Locked?!" That wasn't it. She heard him singing and playing his guitar again. This time, his voice sounded like it was breaking, and he was only playing a few notes at a time. But it was the song itself that now scared her.

" _Goodbye, cruel world. I'm leaving you today/Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye._ "

 _Oh no! He can't be! What am I gonna do?!_

" _And goodbye, all you people-"_

 _No! NO! SHUT UP!_

" _There's nothing you can say-_ "

 _NO!_ She quickly backed up.

" _To make me change_ -"

Using her accelerator, she was getting ready to kick down the door.

" _-My mind…_ "

She raised her foot…

" _Good-_ "

 **CRASH!**

Jeremy seemed startled by the sudden loud noise. He saw Lena standing in the broken-down doorway, panting from exhaustion.

"Lena?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to help you. And that's my mission from here out."

"I don't need any help-"

"Yes, you do," she said firmly. "I know. Because I just heard your Engineer tell your entire life to Winston. I know now all you've been through. I know how hard your life- _Oh my God. What happened to you?!_ "

Jeremy no longer looked like the confident, strong, healthy young man that he was before. His skin was pale, his body much skinnier, so much so that upon lifting his shirt, Lena could see his ribcage. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, his hair messed up, and he looked so dehydrated.

"Oh no," she muttered out loud. "Oh no. Oh no. This is bad. This is so bad. We gotta get you to Mercy's wing and fix you up! And fast!"

"No," he said hoarsely. "Forget about it."

"Forget about it?! Are you fucking bonkers?! You're sick! You may be dying! This is very important! I can't just forget-what's that on your arm?"

"What?"

"There's a bright red mark on your arm," she said, pointing to his left arm. "Show me your arms."

"No."

"Show. Me. Your. Arms."

"No!"

But Lena wouldn't take "no" for an answer. She climbed up on his bed and forced his wristbands off his hands. She saw what the red marks were, and she couldn't believe it. They ran around his wrists and up his arms. They could only mean one thing. One very painful and agonizing thing.

"Jeremy?" She asked, her voice beginning to break, "Why did you do this?" No response. "Why…why have you been cutting yourself?"

After a long moment of silence, Jeremy said, "Because nobody cares. Nobody loves me."

"Nobody loves you?!" Her eyes were beginning to mist now. "Don't you DARE say nobody loves you! There's lots of people who care about you! Your teammates! The guys you fought with in the Gravel Wars! Think of all the good times you've had with them!"

"They used me as a punching bag all the time. They tormented me and reminded me of my greatest insecurities. They mocked how weak I am, and how I'm a young and stupid brat. They don't give a damn about me."

"Well," she said, straightening up a bit now. "What about Miss Pauling?" Once again, there was silence. Scout couldn't believe it. She knew who Miss Pauling was? "Yes, love," she could tell what he was thinking. "I know. I know everything now. And I also know she loved you. She may not have shown it, but you had a very special place in her heart! And what about me?!" Now she was crying. "I'm your best friend! How could you say that I don't care about you?! If I didn't, do you think I would keep coming to you, asking you to speak to me, begging you to tell me if something's troubling you?!"

Jeremy sighed. Now he felt awful. "Oh my God. I just made a girl cry. I swore I would never do this. Ever."

Lena stopped crying for a minute, then said to him, "It's OK, love. We just need to talk this out. All we need is some communication. I know life's been rough for you, but you just have to keep fighting. I know you can do it." She held out her hand to him.

But Jeremy refused it. "No," he said. "No. I can't take this anymore. It's too much. And it's just gonna get worse from here."

"You never know until you try it!" She desperately shouted, beginning to worry about what he was going to do next.

"I'm sorry, Lena. I know you care so much about me, and you're a great friend, but…" he walked over to his drawer. "It's time for me to end this."

Lena immediately stopped sniffling and crying. Her face turned white. She was scared. _Oh no. This can't be happening._

"I continue this anymore. Soldier will call me a coward, but…he's right."

"No he's not! You're a strong man! Life will become better for you! You just need a good friend to help you!" She was crying again.

"I have headaches every night, Lena. I'm constantly living in fear and paranoia of what's coming next for me. This pain has become unbearable." He opened his drawer and pulled his pistol out from it. "Take care of yourself. I hope Emily gives you the love and respect that you deserve."

"Stop it, please! Your life is not worthless! Put the gun down! You're scaring me!"

"Tell everyone I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving them, and for leaving you, but I can't live another day like this."

"Then let's get you to a doctor or psychiatrist for help! This is not the answer!" She sobbed.

He opened his mouth and pointed the gun inside it. "Goodbye, Lena."

" **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

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 **Yep. That's where we're ending this for now. Fucking cliffhangers, I know.**

 **I have to admit, I'm was a little unsure of how to build up to this final scene, and I'm not entirely sure that it's believable and realistic. I hope it is, though.**

 **One last thing. I know that Tracer's girlfriend is named Emily. I don't know her last name, though. Could someone tell me? I will need it for a later chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6: Sometimes Heroes Cry

" **This is more interesting than I actually thought it would... Any chances for other ships to come up? (Soldier and Phara, Soldier and Phara, Soldier and Phara, Soldier and Phara!)" –ArchbowMistress**

 **Sorry, not this fanfic, but maybe another one. I'm just unable to write stories about them right now. But I do have something in mind for Medic and Mercy.**

 **In case you haven't noticed by now, I do like including Easter eggs in the stuff that I write. Make it a challenge for yourselves to see how many you can find.**

 **Also, earlier, I said that I would like seeing some artwork/SFM pics of scenes from this fanfic. One in particular that I would like is one from the last chapter when Tracer notices the cut marks on Scout's arms. That was the scene that inspired me to write this whole thing. Well, that, and there's not enough Scout and Tracer hurt fanfics on the internet.**

 **Sometimes I question why I'm putting so much time and effort into a story which has no chance of ever becoming canon. I guess now I'm doing it for you guys.**

 **Also, I now feel very embarrassed by the fact that I kept misspelling Torbjörn's name as Trobjörn. I really need to spell check my stories before publishing them.**

The gunshot.

That one single gunshot.

Up until that point, everyone in the Mess Hall was eating and chatting as they normally did. Everyone had their usual talks, from Soldier and Phara bitching about which one was the superior soldier, Demoman and Junkrat talking about having another drinking contest, this time with Reinhardt joining in as well, and more development on the sort of love-hate relationship that Sniper and Widowmaker were going through right now. Yes, this just seemed like another ordinary evening at Watchpoint.

Until that gunshot rang out.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to turn their heads and stare in shock. What happened? Weapons were _never_ fired inside the base. That gunshot was never supposed to happen. But it did. At once, everyone knew that something was wrong, but they just didn't know what. Some of them did feel, though, that it had something to do with Tracer spontaneously running out of the room to some remote location in the base.

Hana "D. Va" Song and Mei, being two of Tracer's close friends, were the first ones to run out, worried that the gunshot meant that their girl friend had been shot. Spy, fearing that his son was also involved, run out as well, but they had no idea where the shot was from or what caused it. Then, Spy thought of something. He ran up to Scout's room. Feeling that he was onto something, D. Va and Mei followed.

As they got closer to the room, they heard some loud voices. It sounded a bit like yelling, maybe even screaming, and it also sounded like a bit of crying was going on as well.

Turning around a corner, Spy noticed a hole in the wall that wasn't supposed to be there. He figured that it was the bullet being fired. There was no blood, though, so it looked like nobody got shot. Sighing in relief, Spy nonetheless stepped forward. Gunshots could not go unnoticed. He peaked into a room which the bullet seemed to have come from. It was Scout's room, with the door kicked down. Looking inside, he found something he didn't expect to see. Scout and Tracer were on the ground, wrestling, with one of Scout's pistols in both their hands. It looked like one was trying to get the firearm away from the other. But what really stuck out to Spy was what the two sprinters were yelling at each other.

"I can't take this anymore, Lena! Just let me go!" Scout shouted with a very pained voice.

"Never!" Tracer shouted, in a voice that also expressed pain, but also anger. "Your life is too valuable!"

"No, it's not! I'm a worthless moron! You have to let me shoot myself!"

"I WON'T!" Lena shouted through hot tears dripping off her face. "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF! I WILL NEVER LET YOU WASTE YOUR LIFE!"

D. Va and Mei showed up at that moment, and they gasped in shock. This couldn't be what it looked like. One of their own thought his life was so worthless that he wanted to commit suicide? This was…unbelievable. Not knowing what to do, they immediately shouted for their doctors.

"Mercy!"

"Doctor!"

"Get up here! We need help! NOW!"

Spy, however, wasn't going to wait for them to come up. Anything incredibly bad could happen at any moment. And he couldn't let that happen. He ran over to the fighting couple, and sensing who was trying to fire the gun, was able to force it out of Jeremy's hands, and then Lena's.

"Hey, hey, what da hell are you doing? Gimme that back!"

"DON'T LET HIM TOUCH IT!"

"Silence, both of you!" Spy shouted. "Now I have no idea what the two of you have been doing up here, but horsing around with a gun is not funny nor is it safe! And, good lord, you two look so sick!" He said, looking at a pale-skinned Scout and a hysterical Tracer. It was just at that moment when the two medics, Doctors Ludwig and Ziegler, rushed in.

"Vhat's happening?"

"Ja, vhat's going on?"

Lena rushed over to them, dropped on her knees, and hugged Ziegler's. "Oh, Mercy! Mercy!" She wailed. "It's…J-J-Jeremy!" She paused, panting. "He…He-He-He's trying t-t-to k-k-kill h-himself!"

"Vhat?" Medic gasped, turning almost as pale as Jeremy was.

"What?" Spy repeated, his anger quickly turning to shock.

"He-He thinks we don't care a-ab-bout him! He th-thinks I don't w-w-want him around! He thinks his l-l-life is wor-orthless!" Mercy gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her hands.

"That's because it is!" He shouted. "Nobody loves me! Nobody cares! My life is nothing but a waste! I just want to die now!"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! THAT'S NOT TRUE! I LOVE YOU! YOUR LIFE IS SO PRECIOUS AND YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT!" She screamed, all while bawling out fresh, hot tears. "Doctors, talk some sense into him! Tell him that the world isn't against him! Tell him that he's family and that we love him! Tell him that he's not just a waste of carbon atoms! TELL HIM THAT LENA OXTON WILL CRY EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE IF SHE CAN NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN!" At that point, she just broke down. She cried so hard that any further speech out of her was unintelligible.

Spy stood with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe it. The cocky Boston young man felt depressed. He felt that nobody loved him and that nobody would miss him if he decided to clock out early. Well, he now had his arm around Jeremy's and he wasn't letting go anytime soon.

Medic and Mercy both stared at each other in worry. They were doctors, yes, but this was beyond their professions. They were always medical doctors. They treated injuries and illnesses. Psychology always stumped them both. Neither of them understood mental or emotional illness at all. But even with that being said, they weren't going to just forget about this. How could they? One of their own was in danger. This was very serious, and it was probably happening all along, even though they never knew it until now. They had figured for a while that something was bothering the young Scout, but they just ignored it and said that everything would be alright. But not anymore. This could no longer be ignored. They had to take action, and they had to do it now, skills or no skills.

"It's alright, Tracy," Mercy said, stroking the sobbing Lena's hair. "Ve…Ve'll sort zhis out. Ve'll do everything ve can to help him."

" _Ja_ ," Medic quickly said in agreement. "Ve're not very _gut_ at zhis kind of treatment, but ve promise ve vill help him, even if ve have to take him to another _doktor_."

"Oh, THANK YOU! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She cried, hugging Mercy's legs even harder.

"But you better come too. Ve need to hear all sides of this story. And you better calm down, too. Ve cannot get anything out of you vhile you're so hysterical."

Sniffling some more, she straightened up just long enough to say, "OK…I-I will."

"All right. Come vith us," Medic said. Then he pointed at Spy and said, "You take care of him."

"Bien sûr (French for "Of course). Son, you come with us."

Now crying himself, Scout was very hesitant. "No! I don't wanna speak to anyone! I just want to end this already!"

"PLEASE STOP IT!" Lena lost whatever progress she made in calming down. "STOP SAYING YOU WANT TO-"

"Lena!" Mercy shouted. "Vhat did I tell you? You need to calm down!"

"Right, I'm-I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Medic assured. "Everyzhing is going to be OK. Ve von't let him end his life." And with that, he led everybody out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone was now anxiously waiting outside Sector 2319, Mercy's sickbay. The two doctors were inside, along with the two very emotional sprinters. This was very bad, everyone thought. The RED Team had no idea that their beloved Scout had ever felt suicidal, and the Overwatch would not have expected their own Tracer to have such a huge mental breakdown over it. As the first ones to have seen, D. Va and Mei were especially shocked. They had known her for a long time, and done so many things with her, but they had NEVER seen Lena like this before. She had her sad moments, yes, but she had never fallen on her knees and wailed her eyes out like she had just done. The fact that she did this meant that something was really wrong. They knew what it was, but they didn't think that she would be this upset over it. If it was Emily, her girlfriend, who just tried to kill herself, then they could understand why she would act that way. But to Jeremy? A boy that, as far as they knew, she wasn't in love with? It just seemed unusual.

Well, unusual or not, it was happening. And the fact that it was meant that she really did have strong feelings for him. The question is, where, when, and why?

The two sprinters were seated on opposite beds in the room. Jeremy almost had to be restrained at first, since he constantly tried to get out of his bed and stab himself with one of the many sharp objects that were lying around Mercy's sickbay. But Medic was able to calm him down enough to speak to them about his problems.

On the other bed sat Lena. She was still feeling hysterical over the incident, and Mercy had to comfort her as she was now starting on her second box of tissues. Mercy was afraid that Lena would become dehydrated herself if she continued crying. But not seeing any easy way to stop it, she just continued to let her cry. She also found herself having to constantly silence her whenever Jeremy was talking to prevent her from putting even more stress on herself.

Still wanting to kill himself, but now willing to talk about his problems, Jeremy, now crying himself, had just told everything to the two doctors.

"So, you're saying zhat ever since ze Gravel Wars, you've felt this way."

Jeremy sobbed and nodded. "Yeah, it's true. And even before then."

"Vhy didn't you tell anyone about zhis? Vhy didn't you tell _me_?"

"Because you wouldn't listen to me," he croaked. "Because the only thing I'm good for is being a punching bag for everyone else. Nobody would care about how I felt."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! STOP SAYING THAT NOBODY-" Lena was quickly silenced once Mercy put her hand over her mouth. She then let out a sound through her hand that sounded like, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, dear, but ve have to let him speak." Tracer nodded, though her tears didn't stop coming.

"I never felt like I could speak to anybody," Scout continued. "You guys loved having laughs at my expense. 'Here lies Scout. He ran fast and died a virgin.' 'Y'all gotta run a lot faster than that.' 'Tiny baby man.' 'Vould you like a second opinion? You are also ugly.'" He continued rattling off all the teases and laughs that his teammates had, and in their voices, too. "I always felt so alone. So miserable. That's why I always appeared as cocky and arrogant and shouting one-liners whenever killing an enemy. It's just to cover up how I felt. It was all just to pretend like I wasn't feeling sad and lonely, because nobody wanted to see it."

Mercy was about ready to cry herself. She had never felt so powerless in all her life. She was a certified doctor, she had super advanced healing powers, she was even able to bring people back from the dead. She always felt like she was a goddess on Earth. And yet, right now, right in front of her, somebody needed help. Somebody had serious health problems that needed serious attention, and fast. And there was nothing she could do about it. She was no psychiatrist. She didn't understand mental health. For once in her life, she had no idea what to do. She kept glancing at Medic, hoping that he would know what to do here, but he kept glancing back at her in sorrow. He didn't know any more than she did.

As Lena listened to him to talk about his feelings toward Miss Pauling, she only cried more. She felt so bad for him. For someone who always appeared to be so happy and confident, he was holding so much pain back. And that made her wonder. How could someone who appeared so happy, had such a huge passion for running and music, and always had a quick and funny joke up his sleeve, feel so sad underneath all that? It didn't seem right. It didn't seem logical. But most of all, it didn't seem fair.

Jeremy continued talking. The two doctors were amazed, and relieved, that once he started talking about all his problems, he just never stopped. He talked about his failed relationship with Lena, and went into detail about his inferiority complex. Especially against Lena. He told them about how he felt intimidated around her, and how he thought she wouldn't like him because of how weak he was. Lena just about went over the edge after hearing that.

Despite both of them opening up, the doctors realized that it wasn't making either of them feel better. Jeremy still felt suicidal, and Lena was still having an emotional breakdown.

Outside, everyone was silently talking amongst themselves. Most of the Overwatch was feeling concerned about Tracer, knowing little to nothing about Scout or his emotions. However, Winston wanted to know more about this, and was talking to some of the RED Team about it.

"So, you're saying that the boy never done anything like this before?"

Engie paused for a moment before saying, "N-No…I…I am absolutely shocked. I had no idea…"

"None of us did, mate." Sniper took the conversation away. "He never spoke to any of us about this."

"Wait." Pharah interrupted. "You're saying…that you've been with him for how long, and you never knew that he-"

"Nope," Engie said. "We never asked. We never had ANY clue that he was ever feelin' so sad, much less…suicidal…I guess…Maybe we should've. I…did tell your gorilla here that…his parents neglected him, his…brothers bullied him…so did his classmates…And he was dumped by a gay girl that he loved. And now, from what I hear, it happened again." He sighed. "Now that I think about it, we probably should have known."

Both Sniper and Demoman bowed their heads in sorrow. "Yeah, and none of us were really that nice to him. We kept insulting him and laughing at him whenever he messed up. We were just addin' salt to the wound," Sniper said.

"Aye," Demoman continued. "I should 'ave been more friendly to 'im. I should have taken 'im out for a drink and talked to 'im."

"Well fellas, I think we can all agree that we have each done our share in makin' his poor life miserable. The least we can do now is help get him out of this." Everyone on the RED Team agreed. "At least it's not too late. Doc's in there, helpin' him out. If anybody can do it, it's him."

"Same with our doctor," Winston said. "I just hope poor Lena won't keep dwelling on this. She's putting so much stress on herself, it's not healthy for her. Or for us. We're all worried about her."

"We aren't the only ones worried," D. Va said, coming into the room. "I've been on the phone with Emily. I don't know how, but she found out about this, and she's freaking out. She keeps asking me, 'What's happening to Lena?!' 'Tell him she's all right!' 'Tell me you're not letting her die!' I've been on the phone for the past half-hour trying to get her to calm down. I'm not even sure if I did."

"Wait, half an hour?" Pharah said. "We've been waiting out here for THAT long?! What are they doing in there?"

Just as soon as she said that, the doctors came out the door. Everyone immediately scrambled over to them, ready to bombard them with questions, but Medic raised his hand, demanding that they all sit down. They did.

"Well?" Soldier '76 asked. "What happened?"

"Yeah," his RED Team counterpart said. "What did you do to our boy?!"

"Soldier!" Medic shouted. "How many times have I said not to jump to conclusions?!"

"Sorry," Soldier said, sitting down.

"Now, ze good news is, ve vere able to calm zhem both down." At that statement, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ve gave zhem both zhis," Mercy said, holding up a bottle filled with a purple liquid. "It's one of Doctor Ludwig's own creations. It's a…sort of tranquilizer. He made it as a kind of sleep aid, but ve found out it works as a tranquilizer as vell."

"Ja, ve needed to do something to calm zhem down. Zhey were both very emotional and having nervous breakdowns. It vas so bad, ve feared that it vould take a serious toll on zheir physical health."

"It was the best thing ve had to relaxing zhem. Neither of us could think of a better idea."

"And this will not harm them at all?" Winston asked uncertainly. "Because it sounds like you two don't know what this does."

"Vell, it is a very recent invention of mine, but I made it as a medicine, so it won't harm zhem at all. Now, zhey may vake up vith some minor headaches, since we made zhem go from very emotional to very calm in such a short time, but other zhan zhose few side effects, zhey'll be alright."

"Hang on," Mei asked. "I don't mean to sound like a selfish jerk, but what's the big deal out of all this? I mean, if that guy – Jeremy, you said his name was? – did end up shooting himself, couldn't you-" she pointed at Mercy, "-just bring him back to life?"

Everyone else stared at her, as if to say, "Yeah, couldn't you?"

After hearing a lack of a response, Mei asked, a little scared now, "Right?"

Mercy looked like she was about to cry. Then Medic stared at her as if to say, "Just tell them the truth." Then Mercy finally spoke up after some hesitation. "Um…Actually, Mei…If ze boy killed himself…I couldn't bring him…back."

Needless to say, everyone was shocked. "What?!" was what Mei said. It was also the look on everyone else's face. "But…But…you can bring people back to life! You've brought us back several times!"

"Zhat's…Zhat the thing, sweetie," Mercy continued. "I could bring all of you back to life, because none of you wanted to die. None of you wanted to die in battle against Talon or any other terrorists or criminals. So that's why I could bring you back. But if someone wants to die…If someone vants to leave this planet vithout ever returning, zhen…Oh, Gott, zhis is so painful…" She finally started sobbing.

"Zhere, zhere," Medic said, hugging her, "It's OK. Take all ze time you need."

After sniffling a little bit, Mercy said, "Yes…If someone dies…and wants to remain dead…zhen…I can't bring them back."

"So…" D. Va started, "You're saying…"

"If ze boy shot himself, ve vould have lost him forever."

Everyone was speechless. Especially the RED Team. To think they were that close to losing their loved one, who they never really referred to as that, to think that they almost lost him forever, it made them shudder.

Mercy continued sobbing, now in Medic's shoulder. She didn't want to tell anyone right now, but she discovered this a long time ago. She had failed to revive a childhood friend of hers who had committed suicide. Mercy felt especially guilty that he had tried calling her before he took his life, asking for her to speak to him. But she said she was too busy. She was out partying with friends. Upon hearing that he had killed himself, Mercy felt awful. He was a close friend of hers, and he was about to kill himself. He even called her and asked for someone to listen, and she said she was "too busy." She had the chance to save her friend, and she just threw it out.

These memories were starting to come back to her, and whenever they did, she starting becoming as emotional as Lena was just earlier. Seeing their doctors consoling each other, everyone on both decided to leave and give them their space. Now that they knew what had happened to Scout and Tracer, they were convinced that they were in good hands, so there was no need to stick around any longer.

Mercy continued crying, with Medic hugging her and patting her shoulder. Now she was the emotional trainwreck who needed help. And he would gladly give it to her. After a while, she stopped crying and looked up.

"Doctor Ludwig?"

"Yes, Angela?"

She hesitated, and then said, "Zh-Zhank you…for…being here for me!" She spoke between sobs. "You've…you've been…so nice to me…ever since we…we met."

"Vell," Medic said, "You did bring Archimedes back (after he was killed by the TFC Heavy in the Comics). Zhankfully, he didn't vant to die. I owe you a lot, Angela."

Mercy was still crying, although this time it was tears of happiness. "Doctor…I…I love you!" She shouted, and then pulled him into a kiss. It was forced at first, but once Medic got into it, it started becoming much more passionate. The two doctors really did owe a lot to each other. And each of them seemed to bring out the best in each other.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally pulled away from their kiss. After a pause, Medic said, "I…Ich liebe dich auch, Angela." It seemed like the two doctors were in this together now.

 **Well, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry it took so long to make. As this was a very drama-heavy chapter, I really wanted Scout and Tracer's actions and reactions here to seem very genuine. I hope that's what I did here.**

 **Also, before any of you start sending me comments saying, "There's nowhere in Overwatch that says Mercy can't bring back anyone!" Let me say right up front…**

 **I know that.**

 **I made that up for this fanfiction. I also made up her story about her friend who killed himself.**

 **I did this for two reasons. One, to create a sense of urgency and fill in a huge plot hole. After all, if Mercy can bring people back to life, then what's the big deal if Scout kills himself? That's why I needed her to not be able to bring back people who want to die. And that includes old people who think their time has come. Personally, I think it makes sense. Don't you?**

 **The other reason, the one for the backstory, was to create an emotional arc for her, as well as Medic. I wanted Mercy to be someone who really took suicide seriously, and so, I had to create a reason for why she would.**

 **Anyway, that's it for now. Next chapter should be up shortly!**


	7. Chapter 7: Tracer's Feelings

Tracer was in her room. She had woken up about half an hour ago from the deep sleep that Doctor Ludwig's sleep aid had put her under. She couldn't remember ever drinking it, though. She wouldn't drink it by herself, because she was still having her breakdown and refused to let Scout leave her eyes. She insisted that she needed to watch over him at all times because of his suicidal behavior, despite the doctors telling her that they had him under control. She still wouldn't listen, so the doctors had to force it down her. They only got Scout to drink it after they said it was poison (which Mercy thought was barbaric).

Lena was now pacing around her room. She had a huge, throbbing headache. She figured it had to do with her emotional episode earlier. She tried walking around and jogging it off, but it was no good. Thinking of some advice that Emily gave her, she decided to get in her bathtub for a while. And not just to take a shower. No, she needed to soak in the tub for at least a half-hour.

She stepped into her bathroom and started filling up the tub with hot water. She flipped on another faucet which dispensed bubble soap, and another that dispensed cherry-scented foam in the water. Bathtubs in 2077 had these extras features. While the tub was filling up, she lit some candles around the bathroom. It was a little old-fashioned, as everyone was now using wax heaters instead, but she and Emily both felt that real candles gave a more sexy ambiance.

Soon the tub was filled with hot water and bubbles. Lena then turned on the jet streams that were also a standard feature in bathtubs these days. At first they were only used for swimming pools and hot tubs, but now they were used in just about every bathtub in existence. Once the jets were whirring, she took off her armor, followed by all of her underclothing, including her bra and underwear, and stepped into the tub.

Closing her eyes, she felt relaxed and rejuvenated. Her headache had already seemed to start fading away. Emily was right. These hot bubble baths were so refreshing, not just for the body, but also for the mind. They were the perfect way to unwind after a long day or a lot of stressful events, like what Lena herself was just through. She took a lot of these baths with Emily whenever they were together. Lena was frequently called into the Overwatch for various reasons, so they made sure that all the time they spent together counted. They frequently took baths together to further enjoy their already happy relationship. And of course, this wouldn't be complete without a huge bowl of fruit next to the tub and a glass of wine in both their hands. All this together was pure bliss. The only thing she felt it lacked was a good shoulder massage. Neither she nor Emily could sit low enough in the tub for the jet streams to massage their shoulders, which usually ached more than their backs. _If only_ , she thought, _Yeah, if only Jeremy was in here to do that. Yeah, that would be just perfect. Jeremy walking back and forth to me and Emily, using his firm hands to loosen up our shoulders. There's no way it could get any better than that._

But once she started thinking about Jeremy again, she snapped out of her daydream. _Jeremy,_ she thought sadly. _He's down there in Mercy's sickbay, all by himself._ Indeed he was. He never shot himself, but Doctor Ludwig concluded that he was already dying from malnourishment. Lena remembered seeing him in his room. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days, which was probably true. The doctors assured her that he would be fine. They had hooked him up to a life support machine to pump nutrients back in his body. As a special precaution, they looked him in a room with extra safety precautions to prevent him from trying to kill himself again. All sharp objects were removed, as were all ropes, cords, and anything resembling them. The room was also windowless, so he couldn't escape or jump out and fall to his death. As an extra safety measure, they put a security camera in his room to keep an extra eye on him. Lena insisted that she stay down there as well to watch over him, but the doctors told her that they wouldn't let anything happen to him, and that she needed to take a breather herself. After a little argument, she agreed to go back to her room.

But even so, she couldn't help but think about some of the things that he had told the doctors. " _I'm so weak. I'm so useless. Lena's stronger, faster, and more powerful than me. She doesn't want me around. She doesn't want weak guys bugging her._ " Those words hurt her. She had tried her best to be the most compassionate, caring lady that he had ever met in his life, but she only seemed to intimidate him. Why? What did she do wrong? She didn't try to scare him. Why would she? She loved him. She tried assuring him that he could talk to her whenever he had any problems, but he never came to her. Every time that she had a conversation with him, it was always _her_ who went to _him_.

And on top of that, he was down in that dark room, alone. He had apparently been alone his whole life. There were girls he loved, but none who loved him back. He was always lonely. He never got to go on dates, he never got to experience love, he never got to sit in a hot bath tub with a girl and sip wine with her. What she and Emily had, he could never have. He was always lonely. Always by himself. And he was down in that sickbay with no one so much as looking after him. The thought of that made Lena start crying again.

 _It's not fair_ , she thought. _Why is it that someone as nice and sweet and funny as he is always comes up short? He deserves to have a crowd of girls fawning over him, and he never even gets one._ She almost wished that she was straight so that she could give him some loving. Almost being the key word. She loved Emily so much, she had to admit more than Jeremy, because she was attracted to her. Then she thought, _What if I'm actually bisexual?_ Then she wouldn't have to feel any guilt or fear for loving both Jeremy and Emily. _But even if I am bi, I can't leave Emily. Then she would be feeling lonely and depressed, and I can't let that happen._ She now found herself stuck at a crossroads. She loved Emily and wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, but she couldn't just leave Jeremy all by himself with no one to love. She didn't know what to do now. She needed help.

Help came to her in the form of a knock on her bedroom door. It was so unexpected and out of nowhere, that it jerked Lena out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Wha?" She then realized where that noise was coming from. "Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Hana," a voice on the other side of the door said.

Lena sighed. _You know what? Maybe she can help me out here. We have been friends for a long time._ "Come in, love," she said.

She heard the door open and heard D. Va walking in. She then heard her ask, "Where are you?"

"In the water closet."

There was a pause. "Should I come back at a better time?"

"Oh, bloody hell. Come in," she groaned.

Hana opened the bathroom door, and was a little surprised to see Lena taking a bubble bath. But she figured that she needed to take it.

Lena was surprised by what Hana was wearing. It wasn't her D. Va amor, nor was it any of her downtime clothing. Instead, it looked like something that came from Jeremy's closet. She wore running shoes, white tube socks, blue basketball shorts, and a vintage T-shirt that clearly said on it:

THE WHO: _TOMMY_ WORLD TOUR: 1969 – 1970

Lena was surprised to see Hana wearing this. She probably didn't even know who they were (no pun intended), what _Tommy_ was (although she had to admit, she didn't, either), and she didn't really seem to care much for rock and roll, or "guitar noise," as she called it. "Why are you wearing that?" She asked.

"I was hot and itchy in my long pants and sweatshirt. I needed to get into something more comfortable, and the clothes in his closet looked like what I needed." She then tugged at his shirt. "Damn, how does he fit into this thing? What is he, a size negative six?" Lena laughed at that comment. "I'm not kidding, Lena. This thing is so small. How can he wear it?" She sighed. "Well, at least at really shows off my curves, doncha think, hon?" She was right. Her hips were very prominent in Jeremy's clothes, as were her thighs, breasts, and even her butt. She was a little uncomfortable at first with having her more intimate parts being shown, but then she realized that her armor does the exact same thing.

"I think it looks good on you, love," Lena said. "But to be perfectly honest, you look bloody ridiculous wearing a shirt endorsing a band that you don't know-slash-care about."

"I don't care what _you_ say. I feel comfortable in these clothes, and they make me look sexy."

Lena sighed. Well, now that Hana was here, maybe she could help out with her little dilemma. "Hana?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I need your help with something."

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well…" She paused and then chuckled. "It…Feels a little awkward to be talking to you while I'm sitting naked in this tub, but…I might as well tell you what's on my mind. Now is as good a time as any."

"OK. Whaddaya need?"

"It's Jeremy. You heard him saying that he's felt intimidated around me because of my advanced speed and strength capabilities, right?"

"Yeah, I heard that."

"Well, I don't know why he still feels that way, to be honest with you. I tried my best to open up and be friends with him. I tried to say to him that if he ever feels like he is feeling sad or stressed, then I will always be willing to listen to him and help him out. I tried to be the best friend I possibly could be. And yet, he still wouldn't speak to me. And you saw how he was the other day. He tried to kill himself!" Her eyes were starting to water at the mere mention of that, but she tried her best to fight through it. "What did I do wrong? Why did he still feel weak around me? And why did he even think that I looked down on those weaker than me in the first place?"

Hana paused for a moment. She wasn't quite sure how to answer. But then she thought of something. "Well, you remember him saying that he felt intimidation around his older brothers, who frequently bullied him?"

"Y…Yeah. Wait. He doesn't think that…I'm a…bully…Does he?"

"No, probably not," Hana assured a worried Lena. "But, well, I'm not a psychologist, but I think that, having grown up in that sort of environment, he feels very uncomfortable around people who look and act like they could beat him to a pulp. It's probably nothing that you did, it's most likely something that's burned into his memory by now, and it will take some serious work to help get him out of it."

"Poor guy," Lena said. "And he lived with those huge, hunky blokes. So that was something he had to face every day. If he was counting down the days when he could leave his home, I can understand why."

"Anything else you'd like to talk about?" Hana asked.

Lena hesitated for a moment. She had so many thoughts about her feelings for Jeremy, and now even questioned her sexuality. She had to speak to someone about this. "Well, yes. First of all, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Could you call up Emily and ask her to come here? I need to speak with her about a few things."

"Sure. I'd be happy to. I think you two really should start talking to each other. Don't ask me how, but she found out about your mental episode the other night and was constantly demanding status updates on your condition. She sounded really worried that something very bad was happening to you and that you were in a life-or-death situation."

Lena groaned. She had made her girlfriend worry. She was hoping to keep it a secret just a little bit longer. She wasn't going to keep it a secret forever, but she wanted to tell Emily about it herself instead of having her hear it from someone else.

Hana left the room to call Emily. While she was gone, Lena was thinking to herself. She didn't know what she was going to tell Hana. She knew she had to tell her something, but her thoughts were now very muddled and confused. She needed to take a few minutes to think about what she was going to say, and how she was going to say it.

When Hana came back, Lena decided what she was going to say. "Hana, is it OK…to love somebody…that you don't feel any attraction towards? As in, you don't want to marry or even have a serious relationship with?"

Hana stared confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" She sighed. She had to just tell the truth. "I love Jeremy. I love him so much. He's such a sweet person and he makes me laugh. He also amazes me with his musical abilities. Did you know that he can play seven instruments? And he does them so well, too!"

"Yeah," Hana said quickly. She didn't care much for rock and roll, remember, and thus, she didn't find being able to play guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, saxophone, harmonica, and flute all that impressive.

"Yeah!" Lena said excitedly. "And he's saved my life numerous times! And first, it was just to show off, but over time, I could tell that his actions were much more genuine. He also likes telling jokes to me, especially whenever I'm in a bad mood, because he said he doesn't like seeing me that way. He's left roses by my bedroom door, just because. And for my birthday a couple of months ago, he made me the biggest and most delicious yellow cake I've ever had!"

"Wait." Hana interrupted. "That cake was made by _him?_ "

"Yeah! I saw him make it. And it had four layers, each one smaller than the last. And, blimey, it was the tastiest cake I've ever had! I had no idea he was so good at baking!" By now, she had a huge smile on her face. She loved talking about everything that Jeremy had done for her. But this soon faded as reality started sinking in. "But…despite all that, I just…am not attracted to him. I love him, but I don't feel the same spark and connection with him that I felt with Emily. I don't really want to spend the rest of my life with him. But I still have very strong feelings for him. And we're not just friends. We're way more than that. I know I said this before, but I love him so much. So much that…I'm not sure if I'm really a lesbian. Maybe I'm bisexual. I just…" She sighed. "I don't know. Can you please help me?"

Hana thought for a moment. Even she wasn't sure what to do. Then she decided to ask a very uncomfortable question. "Well, I think I know what your problem is."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but let me ask a few questions."

"OK. Shoot."

"Well, do you have an urge to…have sex with him?"

"What?" Lena asked confused, and a little disgusted.

"Well, do you have an urge to…" She was clearly uncomfortable saying this, "Take off his pants, and…See his…um…junk, and…have him touch all of your…lady parts, and…insert his…member…inside of you?"

"No! Of course not!" Lena shouted. "I've never thought of him like that! I've never had any sexual fantasies with him! I've never even wanted to see him naked, for God's sakes! I mean, yeah, I do like to hug him, maybe even kiss him on the cheek or forehead, but that's about as intimate as we get."

"Well then," Hana sighed, now feeling comfortable again. "You're not attracted to him, just like with any other guy. But from what I hear from you, it sounds like you care about him a lot."

"Oh, that I do. Why do you think I've been wanting to spend so much time talking with him?"

"Exactly. But you feel this way towards Emily too, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that, Lena. It's OK to have strong feelings, and yes, even love, people who you don't want to have sex with and, otherwise, show no attraction towards. And it doesn't matter whether you're straight, gay, bi, trans, whatever. You can have these strong feelings of love towards anybody, male or female.

And that's the answer to your problem. You love Jeremy, and you also love Emily. You want to have an intimate relationship with Emily, but not with Jeremy. That's just the way it is, and there's nothing wrong with that. You're not betraying or cheating on Emily just by saying that there's a guy that you love. You're not coming out as straight or bi just by saying that. And you're certainly not coming out as a cheater or a liar just by having feelings towards someone who you basically don't wanna fuck."

Lena felt better now. "Thanks Hana," she said. "But there's something else I need to talk about as well. Don't worry, it's not gonna make you uncomfortable again."

Hana felt relieved. "OK, what?"

Now frowning, as this was going to be more serious than the last conversation, Lena started, "I think one of the reasons why I love him so much is because of everything he has done for me. And when he asked me to be his girlfriend, I have reason to believe that he would have treated me with love and respect, and would have never been aggressive or hit me at all if I said yes. He is a very sweet guy. But he also carries a lot of baggage with him as well."

"Yep, I heard," Hana said.

"I consider myself to have a very awesome life. I get along with everyone, I am in a happy and loving relationship, and I always feel like I'm the queen of the universe.

But, sadly, Jeremy isn't like that. He's always been bullied and abused by his brothers, his schoolmates, and even his fellow team members like to tease him. And on top of that, he cannot get a girlfriend. Every one that he has feelings for is either a lesbian or wants him to die." She was started to cry again. "He's just always been so sad and lonely, and he covers it up because he thinks that no one cares. It's not fair. It's not fair! Why does he have to be so lonely and depressed while all the big muscle jocks get the most popular-!"

"Lena!" Hana shouted. "You're starting to get worked up again!"

Lena sniffled. "I'm sorry, but I just can't help but feel so bad for him. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves better. I love him so much that…I don't want him to just leave me, let alone die. I want to help him. I want to help him overcome his struggles. Because I will never feel right if I just go back to Emily and leave him alone again, with no one to love him or at least help him get through."

Hana stood, amazed and very touched. "Lena, that is so sweet of you."

"Thank you," she said, sniffling some more. "I just can't let him go until I know that he feels alright. No, just alright. He needs to feel GREAT. He needs to have someone to love him and care for him. I can't leave him alone until I know that he will never try to kill himself again. That's why I asked you to get Emily over here. I don't want to keep this a secret from her. I don't want her to feel like I'm giving Jeremy so much attention that she will feel neglected or even like I'm cheating on her. In fact, if I told her, maybe she and I can work out something for Jeremy. Maybe the two of us can help him overcome his demons. I'm sure the two of them would get along with each other. Maybe we can even hook him up with somebody to love. Someone that Jeremy will love and will treat with as much love and respect as he would have for me, and someone that will do the same in return.

Right now, I'm afraid that he will try to kill himself again, or leave the Overwatch. Leave us. Leave…me. I can't let him leave me in his fragile state! He'll surely never see any point to his existence and kill himself!" She started crying again.

"There, there. It's OK. It'll be alright," Hana said, patting her back. "He's fine for now, and now that you know what his problems are, you'll do whatever you can to help him improve his situation, won't you?"

"Of course I will. You don't need to ask me twice."

"Well then, I think you know what you need to do."

"Bloody hell I do. In fact, I'm going to go downstairs to him and do it right. I feel so much better. My headaches have cleared up now, and my thoughts and feelings have been straightened out. Emily's not here yet, so I'll just have to start doing this by myself." She started to get out of the tub, but stopped short. "Um…Could you go…into Jeremy's closet and grab some of his clothes for me?"

Hana grinned. "Why? You think I look so sexy in these small clothes that you think you need some, too? To out-sexy me?"

"No! It's just…you're right. My own outfit, and not just my battle armor, but my own underclothing as well, is just…too uncomfortable. I need something to help relax in. And yes, it would be nice to show off my sexy curves as well."

Hana giggled. "I'll go get you something, love," she said, and out she went.

Lena got out of the tub. She drained the water out of her tub and blew out the candles in her bathroom. She then grabbed a towel and dried herself off. Once she felt dry, she took a look at her naked self in the mirror. She was very slim and tight, her thighs and calves were long and slender, as were her arms. Her breasts were large and perky, her stomach was lean and tucked in, and turning around, she saw her plump butt standing out above everything else. Lena always loved taunting enemies by bending over in a "kiss-my-ass" position, and she was glad that she had the ass to do it with.

Upon seeing herself in the mirror, she giggled. "I wonder if Jeremy ever dreams about fucking this gorgeous…this sexy-as-hell piece of art that's standing in front of me in the mirror?" Then she stopped laughing, and sighed in sadness. "He probably does, and that's why he's so depressed. Because he can never have it. And I know that he's not so desperate that he would try to rape me." Walking into her bedroom to put on some underwear, she felt like crying again. "Guys like him are so hard to find. Why do girls always push them aside?"

She had slipped into some underwear, and just as she finished fastening a bra on her boobs, Hana came back in with a set of Jeremy's clothes. They consisted of another pair of white tube socks, black basketball shorts, and another black T-shirt, which looked to be a little bit too small for her ( _Hana was right. Is he a size negative six?_ ), but figured that it added to her "sex appeal," as Hana liked to call it, so she put it on. It wasn't until she was fully clothed and looked at herself in the mirror that she saw what it was: It was a KISS T-Shirt. This didn't come from any specific tour of theirs, it was just a generic KISS shirt.

"Well, maybe he'll start feeling less intimidated around me now. Maybe this will make me look like I'm part of the KISS Army as well, and then he might start opening up to me at last."

"Well then," Hana said. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, Emily's not here yet, so I'm going to just go down to the sickbay room that he's in and have a heart-to-heart with him. You stay up here. I have to do this alone."

"Gotcha."

So Lena left her room and began walking down to where Jeremy the Scout was. She hoped that at last she could reach out to him and connect with him. He needed a real good friend. He needed a moral compass. He needed someone to help guide him and overcome his struggles. Everyone had been against him up until now. Everyone tried to discourage him and bring him down. It was now high time that somebody stepped in and instead tried helping him and bringing him back up. Lena knew this. She knew that he needed a loving person to help him out for the long and dark road ahead.

"And if no one else will do it," she said, "Then I will. Because he needs me."

 **That's it for this chapter. I originally didn't plan on making Emily a part of this story, but as I started developing the characters of Scout and Tracer, I decided that she was needed to be an emotional anchor for Tracer, and later, for Scout. You'll see her again later in this fanfiction. Until then, hope you've enjoyed the story so far!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Sad Story of Jeremy

" **I feel as of wearing his clothing will not help Tracer convince him not to feel intimidated." –FalconPuncher**

 **You're right. It won't. She's just trying something different to see if it has an effect. See, she's tried so hard to get him to open up to her, but it hasn't worked. She's trying something different to see if it has an effect.**

 **Now, he will open up to her in this chapter, but it won't be because of the clothes that she's wearing.**

" **In this story is scout ever going to find love?" –Papasmurf555**

 **If so, it'll be later on. I'm actually going to do something special here, but I will need your guys' help, so please, like I said before, leave reviews. PLEASE. I will never censor any, not even critical ones. The only reviews I've deleted so far were some duplicates.**

Lena ran downstairs after her talk with D. Va. Now she knew what she needed to do. Emily would come to the base within a short while, but until then, she had to do whatever she could to help Scout speak to her and be more open with her. She was just about to pass the mess hall, when she heard some strange sounds coming from it. It was now 8:30 PM. There wasn't supposed to be anyone in the mess hall, except for the occasional midnight snacker. Jeremy himself did this frequently, much to Pharah and Genji's displeasure. Lena swore that sometimes he would go down and eat something _specifically_ to piss them off.

But these weren't the sounds of hunger or eating coming from the mess hall. They sounded like…kissing and…moaning.

Lena opened the door, and she couldn't believe her eyes. There were Doctors "Medic" Ludwig and "Mercy" Ziegler lying on one of the tables, kissing each other. This wasn't just quick pecks like she would do with D. Va, Mei, or even Jeremy. This was long and passionate kissing, like she would do with Emily. The two doctors were fighting with their tongues. They were, as a Brit like Lena would say, "snogging."

Mercy was lying on the table, with Medic lying on top of her. As they kissed, they frequently moaned and slurred phrases to each other like, "Oh, Doktor. I love you so much." "Ja, you're so…mmm…sexy…and lovely…You're too _gut_ _für mich_." "Mmm…I don't care. I vant zhis to last forever."

Lena's mouth hung open. She couldn't believe it. The two doctors were a thing now? But…How was this possible? When they first met, they couldn't stand each other. Mercy hated Medic for his lack of ethics and moral codes, while Medic thought she was just no fun to be around with. _Well_ , she thought, _I guess if Jeremy can fall in love with me, then I shouldn't be surprised to see this happening._ She heard that Mercy had revived his dead dove (of which he had several already). She figured it must have all taken off from there.

Lena walked in, and as the doctors were "getting it on," as the RED Team's Heavy would sometimes say, she cleared her throat. The two snogging doctors immediately jerked out of their fantasy world and noticed the young lady standing in front of them.

"Lena! Sweetie!" Mercy asked through flushed cheeks, trying to sound casual. "Vhat…Vhat are you doing up?"

"Well…" _While you two dimwits are fucking snogging, there is a boy in your wing in serious need for attention!_ She wanted to scream at them, but she thought better of it. "Is it all right if I go talk to Jeremy for a little while?"

"Vell…" Medic said, "Ve're not sure. Ve don't know if he wants to see anyone right now, and even if he did, he may still not be healthy enough to speak at ze moment."

"Well," Lena said with confidence, no longer feeling any bit of nervousness at all, "I have to speak to him, and I have to do it soon, and I know that he needs someone who listen to him as he lays out his feelings and emotions. And since _none of you will do it_ , that means I must be the one to do so. Now are you going to let me get through to him, or are you two _quacks_ going to continue to block me?" Lena felt _very_ irritated having to go through so much red tape just to help out a young man that she loved. Why can't they just let her provide some much-needed assistance?

"Vell, OK," Mercy said, clearly uncomfortable with being spoken to in such a condescending manner. "But only do it if ze boy is avake. If ze boy is sleeping, let him sleep, and speak to him once he vakes."

"Oh, don't worry. Unlike you two, I will make sure that he is well-rested. I will _make absolutely fucking sure_ that he gets as many peaceful moments as he can. Because every peaceful moment he has is one in which he's not trying to waste himself!" And with that, she left. Lena didn't even try to hold back the utter anger and frustration that she was feeling right now. To her, it seemed like little was being done to address the problem at hand. To her, it seemed like she was the only one who was taking this seriously.

Mercy couldn't believe it. She had never seen Lena act like this before. She had always known her as a very relaxed girl with very high spirits and self-esteem. She rarely, if ever, snapped at anyone, but even when she did, she always made sure that it didn't sound too harsh towards the person she was yelling at. This Lena that just snapped at them didn't even resemble the Lena that she knew. And frankly, she was quite amazed to see her care this much about Jeremy's health. She knew that she did, but she didn't think to _this_ degree.

Medic just shrugged it off. "Agghh, don't vorry about it, _meine frau_. She's just afraid and anxious over ze boy. Once he recovers, she vill feel better again."

"I hope you're right, doktor. I hate it vhen she's angry. Now, vhere vere ve?"

"I belive ve vere right around…here," Medic said, biting into and sucking Mercy's neck. At that motion, Mercy gave a yelp of surprise, followed by moans of pleasure. "Doktor, zhat's…oooh! Ah…ah..ah..ah..zhat's dirty! Ooooooohhh, but I…I…I love it!"

While those two horny bastards were having their wild night, Lena was running into the sickbay, wondering where Jeremy was. After opening a few doors, she found the right one. She was relieved to have found him, but once she saw him, her mood quickly changed.

Jeremy was looking much less pale than he was before, Hs muscles were re-growing, and even the slash marks on his wrists had slightly faded. The life-supporting machine really did do its' job. She now felt bad about some of the things that she had just shouted at Mercy. She owed her an apology for that.

But despite that, the sight in front of Lena made her eyes water. Jeremy lay on the bed, his legs curled up into his chest. The doctors took his shoes off, so he only had socks on his feet. His breathing was very quiet, and both his shirt and the pillow on his bed looked wet. There were even tear marks on his cheeks, explaining how they got to be so wet. To top it off, Jeremy was even hugging a teddy bear in his arms. He was so stiff that he looked as though he was dead, even though the heart rate monitor assured Lena that he wasn't. In fact, his heart rate was beeping at normal speed. Lena was assured that he would live through this, but the sight in front of her said that on a mental level, he was not feeling any better. In fact, he actually looked worse than he did before.

Lena put her hands on her mouth and started crying again. Only now did she realize just how much crying she had done lately. _I was right. He looks so sad. He looks so lonely. He's hugging that teddy bear because he has no one else to hug. No one else to love._ Lena didn't want to keep pining over her friend's sad life, but she felt like she didn't have a choice. Nobody else seemed to show any emotion or care towards how he felt, and that's what led to his suicide attempt. If people continued to show indifference, he would definitely do it again. And as Lena knew full well, she would fall into depression herself if he left this earth, never to return. She may not want to be his girlfriend, but she still loved him so much that she couldn't, and didn't want to, imagine life without him.

She then grabbed his hand, and whispered into his ear, "Jeremy, I love you very much. It breaks my heart to hear that no one has been there for you when you needed help, or love, or guidance. Jeremy, I promise that I will be that person. I will never tease you or mock you, I will never shout at you, I will never hurt you, and I will never say that I never want to see you again. I know that you feel weak around me, but the truth is, I'm really not that powerful. And that really is the truth. So please, _please_ , speak to me. Tell me how you feel. Tell me _what_ you feel. Explain to me what I don't understand. Please help me, Jeremy, so that I can help you."

She hoped that he would wake soon. She wanted to be able to have a heart-to-heart with him before Emily arrived. He wanted him to feel comfortable and be willing to speak with her, so that he would feel the same when she got him and Emily to start talking to each other.

After a long period of time – it seemed like 40 minutes, but it could have been longer – Jeremy finally awoke. Lena stayed in the room the whole time. She was not going to waste the first opportunity she had to talk to him. It might very well be the last time she could do so. Jeremy opened his eyes and turned his head. He saw Lena smiling at him. But just as soon as he saw that, his face immediately turned sad and he turned his head the other direction.

Lena couldn't believe it. He didn't look sick, much less dying, anymore, but he only seemed to have felt even sadder than he did earlier. It hurt Lena to see someone so funny, so kind, and so musically gifted look so broken, so depressed, and so lonely. She so badly wanted to just hop on the bed and give him a big, fat kiss on the cheek, but she knew she couldn't start off that way. She needed to start with a conversation, and a long one, too.

"Jeremy?" She asked. No response. "Jeremy," she tried again, "Could you please turn your head my way?" He turned his head halfway in her direction, but stopped there. "Come on, love," she said, both tired of his unwillingness to listen and also desperate for him to do so. "Love, please speak to me. I want you to open up to me. I care about you. A lot."

After a pause, Jeremy finally spoke. "No you don't," he said hoarsely, but with his voice inflicting emotional pain more than physical. "Nobody ever cares."

"That's not true at all!" She shouted, although this time, she was careful not to have another mental breakdown. "I care about you so much! Do you think I would keep pestering you like this if I didn't?! You're a sweet young man, and-"

"I'm so weak and useless, I sometimes wonder why I even joined the RED Team in the first place." Before Lena could come up with a response, Jeremy continued, "For the first time in my life, I'm finally owning up to the facts. I can't do anything." He flexed his right arm to show a very unimpressive bicep. "Oh man, that's disgusting," he groaned. "I'm not gonna hide behind anything anymore. I'm not gonna pretend that… _this_ is a sexy muscle that'll get all the girls flocking towards me. I'm not gonna pretend that I'm the best sprinter the world has ever seen, especially with you in the picture. I'm done pretending. I'm finished hiding behind lies. I've had enough of all this bullcrap and acting like it's not there. It is. Now, I will finally admit it. I am just a boy. A stupid, worthless, insignificant boy."

As soon as he finished talking, Lena took a deep breath. She was shocked to have heard these words come out of his mouth. She had never expected that someone so arrogant and full of himself would ever lower himself to this level of depression. This was really what he felt this whole time, and indeed he wasn't feeling any better about it with her around. Still, Lena was desperate to have him talk to her without feeling intimidated, so now it was time for her to open up to him.

"Jeremy? Can I let you in on a secret?"

"Whatever. I don't care."

Taking that as an outright yes, Lena continued. "I…I can't run. At all."

Jeremy finally turned in her direction. "What? That's not true! You're a very fast runner! You have that chronal accelerator of yours to-"

"Exactly," she cut him off, holding the accelerator that she was still wearing. "I have this accelerator. It makes me go so much faster, I can have go back a few seconds in time to throw some unsuspecting bloke off his guard." She paused for a minute as her smile faded. "But without it…I'm useless." She then paused as she stood up from her seat and took it off of her. "Technological gadgets like these help to enhance my abilities, even make me into a goddess at times. But without them, I'm as slow as a slug." Now it was her turn to feel depressed. "If I was fighting, and this damn thing broke, I would be toast. There would be no hope for me at all. Mercy would be reviving me by far more than anybody else.

I was born and grew up at a time when technology could make wimps into super-strong blokes in an instant. That's still the case now. Anybody can be a superhero with a little aid from science. But I can't do a thing by myself. And that's something that I've always envied about you.

Unlike me, you got your legs and lungs of steel all on your own. You didn't have technology to aid you, you didn't have someone like Winston pulling all the strings, you didn't have steroid injections, or muscle growth hormones, or any of that stupid superhuman shit to make you strong. Everything you have, you got all by yourself.

And that's why I asked you to give me music lessons. I have huge respect for anyone who can play one instrument like a pro, let alone seven, like you. I wanted you to teach me how to play guitar, and then later drums, and piano, and even bass, because I wanted to feel like I could do _something_ by myself. I wanted to feel like there was something I can do without technological aids. Something which I had learned and developed without any help at all. Something which I can do using only my pure, raw intellect.

You're not weak, Jeremy. You're so strong and so fast without anything helping you. I can't possibly do that. I'm the weak one here, not you." She paused for a moment after her long speech. She couldn't believe it. She didn't think that she would be able to deliver such a strong confession to anyone. Now she knew how Jeremy felt about feeling weak and intimidated around people stronger than him. Now she was feeling that way.

Jeremy was certainly surprised to have heard this from Lena. The entire time she talked, he had finally turned to face her. He was starting to look a little less depressed from hearing that. He wasn't have a laugh at her expense, but was amazed that she felt that way. _I feel like I'm so weak around her, and she feels the same way towards me? I never would have thought…_

"Love, now I know how you feel. I didn't before, even though I thought I did. I know you grew up with many rough brothers. I know how they made you feel. And it's not easy to snap out of your tendencies to feel insignificant around people who look bigger and stronger than you. I know that now. But the truth is, you really can talk to me about it. The truth is love, I'm actually not that different from you. Even I sometimes hate wearing my heavy and, I would say, phallic Overwatch suit. Do you know how prominent my butt is in that thing? I can hardly go anywhere without a bunch of horny blokes whistling and catcalling at me. And Hana and Widowmaker have it even worse. Those poor girls look like their boobs are about to burst out of their suits." She realized she was getting off-topic at that point. "The point is Jeremy, I don't like looking larger-than-life and scaring other guys like you. Even I prefer wearing much lighter and more appealing clothes. Look at what I'm wearing right now!"

Jeremy looked up and noticed that Lena was wearing… "'Ey. Is that my KISS shirt? And are those my shorts?"

"Yeah," Lena admitted. "Hana raided your closet. She wanted to try some of your clothes on to see how she looked in them, and I asked for some, too. How do I look in this shirt?"

"Well," Jeremy said, with a smile finally coming back to his face. "I would say…You look like a real rock star."

Lena blushed a little and giggled. "Thanks, love. Do you mind if I look through your closet a bit more for some shirts?"

"No, that's fine," Jeremy said. "Hey, outta curiosity, what's Hana wearing?"

"She's wearing your _Tommy_ shirt."

Jeremy laughed at that. Hana Song was wearing his Who on Tour shirt? It sounded like a piece of badly-written fanfiction. Jeremy didn't like Hana's choice of music, which was K-Pop, and Hana thought that rock and roll was just noise, and didn't think that playing an instrument was very impressive. As such, the two didn't like each other very much. "Has she even heard or seen _Tommy_?"

"Nope, and I doubt you could get her into it. But I'm interested. It seems that back in your time, music was a lot more than just a few minutes of beats and "love-me" or "party" lyrics. From what I hear, there were albums like _Tommy_ that told entire stories."

"Oh yeah, there were. And every kid loved it. Every kid was playing instruments because of it! We didn't just want to listen to music! We wanted to play it ourselves!"

Lena was happy to see that Jeremy was beginning to revert back to his usual self after his long bout of depression. "Jeremy, if you're jealous of me because of my strength and speed, then you should know that I'm jealous of your knowledge and skills in music."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'd give anything to be able to be half as good on guitar, piano, and drums as you are. I'd even give up my accelerator and my Overwatch position. I honestly wish I had what you have. You are so special to be so musically gifted."

Jeremy felt touched to her Lena say that. For someone who didn't seem to have any skills in music, she certainly had great respect for those who did. "Lena, thank you so much. I don't know why I ever contemplated suicide now. I wish I wasn't afraid to come to you when I needed you to help me. I don't know what I would have done without you."

Lena was crying again, but this time it was tears of happiness. Jeremy was finally opening up to her. He now truly valued her as much as she valued him. For once, he didn't feel like he needed to bottle up his emotions because nobody cared. He was finally not scared around her, and would now speak to her about his problems. Lena was so happy to hear him say that. She was so happy, in fact, that she finally jumped on the bed and kissed him on the cheek. It was a long kiss. Her tongue even snuck out of her mouth and licked his cheek. She couldn't control herself now. Her emotions got the best of her again.

Jeremy lay on the bed shocked. He did not expect _that_ coming. For someone who was said to be a lesbian with a girlfriend, that sure was a passionate kiss. Not that he would know. He had never been kissed by a girl before. But it did feel…special. It didn't feel like the kind of kisses that his mother gave him. They felt like more than just that.

As soon as Lena broke away, she noticed the dazed and confused look on Jeremy's face. _Oh God,_ she thought. _I shouldn't have done that. I just made this so awkward. Lena, you idiot! You're not supposed to jump on him that early!_ She noticed that Jeremy was trying to say something, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Jeremy?" She asked. "Love? What is it? What are you saying?"

"Lena…" he moaned. "That…was…"

"What? She noticed that Jeremy was trying to say something, but she couldn't tell what it was. "What is it? What's on your mind?"

"Lena…" he moaned. "That…was…"

"What? _What?_ " _Please don't hate me for this, Jeremy. Please don't hate me for this, Jeremy. Pleasedonthatemeforthisjeremy._ Her breathing was speeding up now, and she looked worried.

"That…was…amazing."

Lena looked relieved, but also a little surprised. "You haven't been kissed by a girl before, have you?"

"Nope. Not on the lips, not on the cheeks, not anywhere. I always hear about how good it feels to have someone you really love kiss you, but I've never got to experience it myself. And now that it's happened, I must say, it's freaking amazing! For the first time in my life, I've felt like someone really loves me! And that really does mean a lot to me, Lena, because I lo-" He instantly cut off his sentence at that moment and started to look worried again.

"You what?" Asked Lena. "What is it you…?"

Jeremy looked nervous. "I…I…(sigh)…I can't say it."

"Why not?"

Jeremy sighed. He took some time to think through what he was about to say to her. "I was going to say that I love you, but I know that I…I…I can't."

"Of course you can! I know you love me! You can say it!"

"No, I can't," Jeremy insisted. "It's not right. I can't say that I love you. And that's because I can't love you. Because you don't love me."

"How many times do I have to say this?" Lena said, now a little bit irritated. "I love-"

"I don't mean _that_ kind of love," Jeremy interrupted. "I mean, _love_. As in, I love you so much I want to be your boyfriend and spend the rest of my life with you. I mean _that_ kind of love. And I really do feel that way toward you. But, since you're gay, that means I have no chance to spend my life with you. And that means I can't love you. Since you can't _love_ me, I can't say that I love you."

Lena stopped to take in what she was hearing from Jeremy. Now she understood what he meant. Then, she remembered what Hana told her. "That's not true, Jeremy. You can love me, even if you can't _love_ me.

It's completely OK for you to feel this way towards me. It's OK to love me. You don't have to feel any guilt about loving me. Because I don't feel any guilt about loving you. I _love_ Emily, but I still love you. I understand how you feel, because I felt the same way myself. I thought that if I _loved_ Emily, then I couldn't love anyone else. But that's not true. I can have strong, if not romantic, feelings of love towards anybody else. And so can you. So please, say that you love me. Because I know you want to."

Jeremy hesitated for a moment, then he finally spoke up. "Lena, I love you. Very much. You're one of the best things that's ever happened to my life."

"Thank you!" She cried, and then she hugged him. "Do you know how good that makes me feel, to hear that someone I love loves me back?"

"Of course I do."

"Well then, why aren't you hugging me?" She demanded. Jeremy then put his arms around her back and held her tight. They never kissed, but frankly, Jeremy didn't care. Neither did Lena. They were both showing their affection towards each other in just the right way. Neither of them dared to make a risky move and ruin their good moment. They wanted this to last for as long as they could, or at least until Emily arrived.

The thought of that then made Lena snap out of her daze. "Oh! I forgot to mention!" She said excitedly, "Emily's coming here! I'm going to talk to you two about a few things! Oh, I can't wait until you meet Emily! You're going to love her! And this is going to feel so good! Having my best friends together with me at the same time! Oh, this is gonna be a riot! We're gonna have some fun and a few drinks and then it'll be the best night ever!" She got up out of his bed and jumped around in ecstasy. "Thank you, Hana!" She shouted to no one in particular. "Thanks for your advice! Now I don't have to choose between who I want as the most important person in my life! I can have two! And I can have them both together at once!" She seemed very happy right now. She was excited. She was so hyper right now, one could have thought that she had swallowed a gallon of Jeremy's Bonk! Atomic Punch.

Jeremy, however, didn't share her excitement. While she was bouncing off the walls, he stayed in his hospital bed and slumped down into it. Lena didn't notice at first, but when she saw his rather crestfallen expression, she looked a little concerned. She thought that he was feeling much better now. Why would he revert to his old, depressed self? Was it something she said? Or did? She didn't know, but she was determined to find out.

"Jeremy? What's wrong? Aren't you glad that you'll get to meet and interact with my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, but…but…I don't know if I should-"

"Love…You can speak to me about _anything_ , remember? I want to help you out in any way that I can, so if there's something bothering you that I don't know about, _PLEASE_ speak to me about it. I cannot stress that enough. If there's something you need to tell me, then do it. I will listen to you."

Jeremy sighed. He knew he had to tell her what was bothering him. Unlike before, now he was sure that he could do it. "How much do you know about Miss Pauling?"

"I know that like me, she was a lesbian that you fell in love with, but that's about it."

"Well, she was a lot like you. Maybe not quite as feisty, though. That's a trait of yours I admire about you, Lena. You have lots of enthusiasm and energy inside you. That reminds me of myself quite a bit." Lena laughed at that statement.

"But I'm getting off-topic. I fell in love with her because of who she was. I admired her because she could read very well, she always had her glasses on kind of crooked, which I found sexy, and she was rarely aggressive with anyone. She only raised her voice when somebody was pissing her off. In retrospect, I did that a lot.

But I still felt like we had a real connection to each other. I was determined to win her heart. I was determined to make myself the ultimate boyfriend, the one that was so perfect that she would not even think about going with any other. See, I didn't care about how she looked. Other guys would probably find her ugly, but I didn't care. I wanted her for who she was.

Anyway, when she came out to me, I was crushed. I had such high hopes for a future together, that ever since then, I've always felt small around her, and I even got jealous. I found that the more time I spent around her, the more jealous I became. I think I felt that way because I knew that somebody else would win her over, and it wouldn't be me. But, deep down, I knew that it wasn't right. I knew that I shouldn't be jealous, and that I knew better than to try to sabotage any future relationship she might be in. So, because of that, I just distanced myself from her. I spent as little time around her as possible. I knew that if I tried to ruin her and her future girlfriend's partnership, or tried to do something _really_ bad, like rape her, then I really would be an asshole and she would have every right to hate me. So, I kept myself apart from her. For her sake, but also for mine. I figured that she wouldn't want to ever see me again, so I just didn't even try to keep things going with her.

And that's exactly how I feel towards you right now. When your girlfriend comes here, I know that I will feel some sense of envy when I see the two of you kiss, knowing that I will never be able to touch those…beautiful, cherry-red lips on your mouth with my own." Lena felt herself blush from hearing that flattering comment. But Jeremy continued.

"Emily is a lucky girl to able to wake up every morning next to that shiny, lovely, freckled face of yours smiling at her, knowing that she's loved very much. That's gotta be the best feeling in the world. Knowing that someone you love is watching out for you." Again, Lena couldn't help but feel flattered by those kind words that he was saying. Damn, he certainly knew how to make a lady feel good. "And coming home from a hard day every night, having someone to be able to complain about all the shit that you've had to put up with that day really helps calm you down. Especially since that leads to a night of snuggling and sex. I hope that both you and Emily are so grateful that you have someone like that. But I don't. Back in 2Fort, after a long day of fighting, my idea of a relaxing evening was to practice my instruments with rock music playing in the background, which was fun, but it got very lonely at times. I never woke up next to the girl I loved, I never got to kiss her, and I never got to cuddle with her.

I…Don't think I should spend any more time around you two. I feel like my jealousy will just get the better of me, and then I'll end up doing something to one or both of you that I'll regret, and then you two will hate me, and you'll have every right to do so, because I'm such a huge fuckup. Maybe I should just quit the Overwatch and go home to the states and play music at bars. That's more my thing. I'll be lonely again, but by now, I guess I've gotten used to it."

Lena never thought about this before, but now that he was talking about it…he was right. It's not easy to have to see someone you love with somebody else. It is very hard on an emotional level to cope with it. And Jeremy was such a nice man. He won't let his envy get the better of him. You can tell that he really loves her because he gives her privacy and doesn't try to ruin her good thing.

But Lena wasn't lying when she said that she loved him. She loved him so much, in fact, that she didn't want him to leave her. He needed someone to help him get through hard times, and she needed a loving and sympathetic man to help balance out her uneven lifestyle. After Hana's talk, she was convinced that she didn't have to choose one over the other. She could have both Emily and Jeremy in her life as her best friends. She only _loves_ one, but she can love both. There was nothing wrong with that. She was determined to keep it this way, and would do whatever she needed to do so.

"Love, don't go." She said, in a serious, but somewhat pleading tone. "I want you to stay with me. You give me so much joy and laughter that I can't stand it to see you go. And I know that Emily will love you, too. I know more about what you've been going through now. And I want you to educate me on what I don't understand. We can do this. Emily and I will help you overcome your struggles. I just want you to be the happiest boy in this world. So please, stay with me. Stay with _us_."

Jeremy got out of his bed. He disconnected himself from the life support machine, feeling that his body was now strong enough to handle him now. He started pacing around the room. "I know you love me, Lena. It's been hard for me to accept that, but now I do. I know you want me to stick around, and that you will help me with my problems, but my problems are so serious that…I don't know…I really don't know…" He turned away from her and hung his head. After a moment of silence, he turned back and said to Lena, "I'm going for a walk."

Lena was surprised. "A walk?"

"My head is starting to hurt and I can't even think right now. Going on a walk, or even a run, helps me clear my head." Lena looked a little horrified at this notion, but Jeremy quickly said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to try to kill myself again. I just need a refresher." Lena looked like she was starting to cry again, so Jeremy quickly reassured her, "I'll come back. I promise."

Jeremy always seemed like a person who kept his promises, so Lena said, "Well…all right. But don't be out for too long, love. And, you have your cell phone, right?"

Jeremy reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "It's still taking me awhile to get used to it, but, yeah, I have it."

"Good." Lena looked better now. "Now, if you need me for anything, and I mean _anything at all_ …"

"Yeah, I know. I'll give you a ring."

"Thank you. Now, please. Don't forget what I said. Don't stay out for too long. I don't want to worry about your condition."

"Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I came." And with that, Jeremy left the room.

Lena followed soon after. She had to constantly tell herself that she didn't fail. He just needs to clear his head and get his thoughts in order, she said. _I mean, doesn't everybody have to do that once in a while?_ And with that, she went back up to her room, eagerly waiting for Emily's arrival. _He didn't even seem to care that I was wearing a KISS shirt._

 **I gotta be honest, this chapter was a difficult one to write. As with the rest of this story, I wanted it to seem genuine. I wanted it to seem like something that could actually happen. I feel like I may have come short on that in a few places, but for the most part, I hope that I succeeded in doing that.**

 **As always, more is to come. I promise that I will finish this fanfic, unlike some others you may have read, which you liked, but they abruptly stopped.**

 **And as always, continue to leave reviews. I always value feedback on my stories.**


	9. Chapter 9: Review Responses (Not Story)

**This is not actually part of the story. I'm just responding to some reviews that were given to me. I usually respond to reviews at the beginning of each chapter, but lately I've been getting so many, that it's taking up so much space at the start of the chapter that I decided to take up one who chapter to respond to some of these reviews. Sorry for the lack of story, but I promise that more is coming.**

" **Can you have scout tell tracer all the feats he has (killing a bear, taking 3 rockets to the face, running faster than sentries can catch him)." –Anonymous**

 **If you're referring to TF Comics 3, it was Heavy who killed the bear. Also, the only sentry he can possibly outrun is a normal Level 1 sentry. And that's if he's lucky.**

" **Tracer being lesbian has never been said or proven its non cannon." –Anonymous**

 **Sorry to burst your bubble, but she has. I'm not making it up.**

" **How about both Emily AND tracer? Kinda like a harem of sorts" –Anonymous**

 **No. That's unrealistic and a little bit creepy.**

" **You should scout fall in love one of the other agents like widow or sombra or make a love triangle with tracer Emily and scout." –Papasmurf555**

 **I've thought about the love triangle idea. It would be a very different and unorthodox love triangle, but it could work out. I'm still thinking about how this story is gonna go.**

" **I want to know if you planned for the story to go this way, or if you had something different planned." –Anonymous**

 **It was mostly the same as I originally imagined it, but with a few minor differences. I was going to start the story with Scout already attempting suicide, but I didn't believe that Tracer would feel so scared and upset over it yet, so I decided to take up the whole first few chapters developing the relationship between the two.**

 **Also, instead of trying to kill himself before Tracer stopped him, she walked into his room and saw him already hanging by his neck from the ceiling before freaking out and begging someone for help. I decided to change it to what you saw in Chapter 5 because I wanted to show Tracer as selfless as possible, showing that she would do anything to keep a close friend of hers from killing themselves. So I added in the scene where they have the long conversation before Scout tries to commit suicide, but Tracer stops him. I think that what I went with was what I should have. I got feedback from reviewers saying that that scene made them cry. I don't know how many people read fanfiction for sad moments, but I wrote this fanfiction to be heavily dramatic, so I feel like I did what I set out to do.**

" **This may be the most depressing fanfic I've ever read in this page, I hope that ain't an insult to you since I believe you wanted it to be depressing, did you? But either way good chapter, but that mercyxmedic scene was very sudden." -GameQ**

 **Don't worry. I don't feel insulted. I intended to make this heavy dramatic and depressing, so yeah, thanks for telling me this. I tried to make it as realistic as possible, so that's why it has the effect that it has. Because you can believe that it can actually happen.**

 **As I said before, I am kinda hoping that some people are going to read this fanfiction and it will influence them to write their own Trout (I don't know if that was a thing before Tracer came out) hurt/comfort/drama fanfictions. I am very anxious to see what my fellow fanfiction writers can come up with.**

 **Now, as for the MedicxMercy scene, I have been wanting to "ship" Medic and Mercy. That would be the ship that comes from this fanfiction. But I guess it's possible that I wasn't quite able to sell it.**

" **honestly I don't think scout will want to see or speak to tracer anymore after everything's that's happened I feel like it would just cause him even more pain if he did even thou(gh) she is trying to help." –Anonymous**

 **Not really. She never really did anything to hurt him. All she did was reveal her sexuality to him. Naturally, he's crushed because he loves her, and he had already been dumped by a lesbian, but she didn't know that at the time. Now that she does know that, she wants to do whatever she can to help him feel better about himself.**

 **She can't really hurt him anymore because she knows everything about him now, and despite her being gay, he still loves her very much. Besides, Emily will show up later in this story, so she, as well as Tracer, will help him get out of his depression at the least, or even help him find a girlfriend. I'm actually still working on that part. I don't know if that's going to happen yet. That's not going to be in the next chapter. It will be in a later one, though.**

" **Daaaamn. Really liked this chapter. Ever considered being a professional writer?" –Anonymous**

 **I have considered it, but at this point, I'm not quite sure I'm good enough to do so. I have had some ideas for stories (not fanfictions, actually my own stories), but I want to make sure that the stories I write are top-notch and that people will want to buy them and read them.**

 **If people like this enough, I will probably try to become a real professional writer. I will probably never this story outside of this website, out of fear of a copyright infringement lawsuit from Valve or Blizzard. Probably both.**

 **For those of you following, I'm sorry that I triggered your new chapter alerts for something that has no further story, but I felt like I needed to respond to some of the reviews that have been given to me, which I did ask for.**

 **Hopefully I've answered some questions that some of you have had, and please continue to comment if you have any more questions for me, or general feedback towards my story.**

 **Next chapter will be up shortly!**


	10. Chapter 10: Auctions, Ale, and Advice

" **I'm glad you didn't go for the harem. This website is full of weird people who always demand harems. Pretty sure 50% of fics on this site has harems. It's ridiculous, stupid, and overused.** **  
** **As for those who keeps demanding harems, ya'll need to get laid." –Lord Demolitions**

 **Thank you, Mr. Demolitions. I think we're all sick of people wanting Luffy to screw Nami, Vivi, Robin, and Hancock all in the same fanfiction, can you agree?**

" **Love this story but I always liked scout x dva even though they don't like each other you should have it were the reason she doesn't like him is because she has a huge crush on him." –Papasmurf555**

 **I am actually now thinking of giving D. Va a bigger part later in this fanfiction. It's not gonna be a love…square, if that's you're wondering, but I do have something in mind for her now.**

 **Anyway, I already spent a whole page responding to reviews, so, on with the show.**

It was nighttime in Gibraltar. The full moon was shining down upon a lake just outside of a forest. The forest was huge with hundreds of trees, thanks in no small part to the Gibraltar Environment Act, passed in July 2056, promising huge penalties for those who destroy nature without replanting it. A road (built before the Act was passed) stretched through the forest, with bright street lamps illuminating the path. The forest was quiet. The only sounds one could hear were those of crickets chirping, and the pounding of footsteps against the gravel road.

These footsteps belonged to Jeremy "Scout" Scott. He was running alongside the road deep into the night. He had just left Watchpoint and was taking a nighttime jog. After his heart-to-heart with Lena, he decided he needed to take a walk (which quickly became a run) to help him think about his future.

This was tough for Jeremy. He felt that the more time he spent around Lena and Emily, the more he would get jealous of them, since he loved Lena so much. Jeremy never liked living in envy. In the past, he would try to overcome his envy by becoming stronger and better than his competition. But this usually resulted in him doing something stupid and/or hurtful, which would only make him feel worse. Nowadays, in the event of envy, he accepts defeat and the fact that he can't compete with his competitor, and decides to withdraw from life completely, abandoning whatever hopes and ambitions he had. It sucked, but it felt much better than feeling jealous and guilty of something he did.

Jeremy wasn't ashamed to admit it: He was jealous. He was jealous that Emily got to wake up in the mornings to such a beautiful, freckle-flourished face and the sweet sound of "Mornin', love," from none other than Lena herself. He was jealous of all the hugs and kisses they shared together, so passionate and loving that neither would use them with anybody else. He was jealous of all the sweet and loving moments they had, cuddling in their house, on the beach, or wherever they happened to be. They surely traveled a lot together, he thought. _Imagine all the good times that they've had,_ _which I wish I could have with her._ He knew that Lena and Emily had such a good thing going for them, and he would give up anything, _anything_ , even his running and musical skills just so that he could say that Lena was his girlfriend.

But that wasn't the way it worked. Lena didn't want that. There was another person that she wanted to do all those loving, romantic things with. Ten years ago, Jeremy swore that he would have tried to sabotage such a relationship so that he could get the girl of his dreams. But now, he was older and much more mature, and he decided to just accept the fact that he could never have Lena. To cope with this, and to prevent jealousy from rising, Jeremy started thinking that it was time for him to just leave. He needed to quit the Overwatch, pack his bags, and move back to his home in the United States, where he would surely start his musical career. Yep, he could play music. And no small amount, too. He could be a real rock star if he wanted. Yeah, that was the life. His ability to shred on an electric six-string was something that nobody could take away from him. Yep, he decided. _It's time to go. I just need to get out of Lena's life and let her enjoy it the way she wants to._

 _But she still loves you,_ another voice in his head said. _Didn't you hear what she said? She clearly cares about you enough that she wants you stay here with her. She may not want to live with you, but she clearly wants you to live not far from her. She wants to talk to you. She wants to know how you are feeling. She knows your struggles, and she wants to help you get through them. Imagine if you left. How would that make her feel? She would be devastated, and you know that. She would do everything she could to keep you from leaving._

Jeremy was now having an internal struggle with himself. He wanted to go, but Lena wanted him to stay. He supposed staying could work. Lena though so much of him that she still wanted him to be a part of her life. Maybe he should stay. _Maybe I should just do it for her. Besides, she said that she would help me. It's the next best thing to being her boyfriend. Who said that she couldn't have guy friends because of her sexuality?_

 _No one._

 _Exactly. So-_

 _But does she even_ want _guy friends?_

 _You know the answer to that question._

Jeremy didn't know what to think now. There were too many voices in his head. He could barely even concentrate on where he was running, much less what he was thinking about. He realized that he was lost now. He had absolutely no idea where he was. But maybe that's for the better. He clearly needed some time to think and clear up his head. But the more he tried, the foggier his thoughts seemed to become. It was almost as if going out to take this run wasn't such a great idea after all.

After some time, he decided to just slow down and walk. He figured that somebody had to be living close by. He figured that when he wanted to return to Watchpoint, he could just go to them and ask for directions. Until then, he would just continue walking along this dark and lonely road. Maybe some time later, he'll be able to think more clearly and decide what he should do.

As he was walking, he noticed the street lamps above him. He was astonished. They weren't the dark yellow lights that he was used to seeing on the road back in 1978. These were bright, white lights. They didn't seem to be made of the same material as the 1978 light bulbs.

These were LED lights. Everyone in 2077 was using them. They made everything so much brighter, and, frankly, much more pleasing to see. Yellow just seemed to make everything like ugly.

Jeremy continued walking. He stopped thinking about what he should do now just because he needed a break from it. It was making his head hurt. He decided that he needed to take a rest before giving it any more thought.

After walking a little bit further, he came across an intersection. The road went three ways. Jeremy wasn't sure which road he should take. He didn't know where he was, let alone where he was going. This described his situation perfectly, he thought.

Just then, he heard a car driving up behind him. It didn't sound like a normal car. There was something different about this one. But then he remembered, _I'm in the future. Everything's probably so different now, even the vehicles._

He jumped off the road as the car pulled up alongside him. It looked very strange indeed. It looked like it was a combination of an SUV and a pickup truck. It was bright red, with silver hubcaps and, to Jeremy's surprise, no exhaust pipes. The car's headlights and taillights were LEDs as well. It seemed as though the typical light bulbs of the '70s were completely phased out now.

The driver of the car rolled down his window and called out to Jeremy. He was a middle-aged man with a muscular body and was clean-shaven. His face looked gruff, but with a hint of kindness. That kindness showed through when the man asked, "Hey kid. What're you doin' out here so late?"

Jeremy looked up. He got nervous around random dudes in cars, but he figured that if he got into any trouble, he could easily put up a fight. And of course, how could he forget what Lena told him before he left, _If you need me for anything, and I mean_ anything at all… _call me._

"I…I was just…out for walk…"

"Really? At 10:35 at night?"

It was 10:35 already? Crap. He was out pretty late. "Y…Yeah. I'm…I'm trying to…"

"Get to the town? Well, most people wouldn't get there on foot. It's pretty dangerous. Especially with all the wildlife that lives in this forest."

Jeremy looked scared. _Wildlife? Aw, crap. That means there's probably bears here as well. I didn't even think about that._ As he finished his thoughts, Jeremy could swear that he just heard a bear growling in the distance.

"Hey, kid. Don't worry about it. Hop in the pickup. I'll give you a lift."

"Really?" Jeremy asked.

"Sure. I'm heading over there myself, so I won't even charge you any money for it."

Jeremy was intrigued. Maybe he should go to the town. Maybe he could someplace to eat, maybe get a drink, clear his head, and even ask for directions on how to get back to Watchpoint. "Sure," he said.

"All right. Just climb in the back. I'll get you there in no time."

Jeremy climbed into the pickup in the van. It was very dirty and was clearly used for work. There were garden tools lying around, as well as a lawnmower motor. Still, this futuristic car looked very stylish.

As soon as he got in, the car started back up. It turned onto the left road in the intersection. Jeremy was now less worried about this man being up to no good. He was riding in an open compartment where he could easily jump out if anything bad was happening. As the car began picking up speed, Jeremy began feeling the wind blowing in his face. It felt very nice. He always wanted to be able to lean his head out of car windows and feel this sensational feeling, but whether it was the school bus or his mom's car, they wouldn't let him do it. They were too concerned about a car coming too close to them and clipping his head off. _Like that would ever happen_ , he thought. _Surely those old folks have learned by now not to drive to close to other people_.

The man driving the car did seem very nice. He would frequently roll his window down, tell jokes to Jeremy, and apologize to him for running over the occasional obstacle in the road, causing the car, and Jeremy, to bounce up and down.

After about fifteen minutes, the car finally arrived in the city. It was not at all like what Jeremy was used to seeing. The cities in 1978 were mostly brick, and occasionally wood. These buildings were made out of metal. Some looked like steel, and others had much shiner metals. All the buildings looked very clean and refined, and they all had LED lights. A lot of buildings had antennas on them, and there were very few power lines running from place to place. The cars looked very strange as well. They all looked much smaller and more compact than the '70s cars did. Jeremy wasn't even sure they were running on gasoline.

He hopped down from the bunker of the car and said, "Thanks for the ride!"

"Don't mention it, kid." And with that, the driver sped off, leaving Jeremy in this huge, futuristic, and now mostly empty town. It was mix of industrial buildings, with huge skyscrapers that were uncommon in Jeremy's time, apartments, and some restaurants and stores that looked the most like '70s architecture, and that is really stretching it.

Jeremy walked around town for a little while. Most of the stores had closed down, due to it being so late at night, but some were still open. There was a Five Guys, Burgers and Fries restaurant (which Jeremy had never heard of before), which was still brightly lit, and even pretty busy. There was a Target store that was just about to close its' doors for the night. There was even a university around here as well, just wrapping up with teaching its' late-night classes.

Finally, after wandering around for a while, Jeremy came across a bar. It was called The Green Dragon. Unlike the other buildings, this one looked pretty old. This was definitely an old brick shack that, judging by the look of it, might have even been built a hundred years ago. It looked like it had some updates since then, but its' general feel was that of the 1970's. Feeling that he would be most used to this type of aesthetic, Jeremy walked in.

A lot of people were at the bar tonight. There was a lot of chattering, a lot of yelling, but it felt generally pleasant. Jeremy could smell cigarettes burning from where he was, some of which were even fruit-scented. Jeremy had yet to learn about electronic cigarettes, which came into prominence in the early 2010's. There was even some fresh, hot food there as well. Typical bar food, like burgers and fries, but even some more unorthodox items like salmon, steak, and even pasta were being served there. Jeremy walked past a broken table and chairs, with playing cards all over the floor. A bar fight had happened here just before he came, and he could tell because of one man's bloody nose.

He walked over to an empty barstool, hearing the sounds of billiard balls clacking, heavy metal music playing, and pinball and arcade machines dinging and clanking in the background. A lot of these guys looked very large and unpleasant. Some of them had tattoos, rings in their noses (which Jeremy thought looked disgusting), and even shaved heads. Most of the guys in the bar were talking very roughly and drunkenly. Once again, Jeremy's feelings of inferiority and insecurity were sinking into him. Only this time, unlike when he was with Lena, he felt like trying to do anything to these guys, even start up a civil conversation with them, would result in him losing his head, quite literally. So he just turned away from them and decided not to draw attention to himself. _If I just leave these guys alone, they'll leave me alone_ , he thought.

He was used to being alone by now, so he actually didn't feel bad about nobody paying attention to him. In fact, now he wanted to be alone. He thought that he should just move away. Living with Lena more would just mean living a life of jealousy, which he didn't want. Of course, Lena had kept insisting that such feelings of loneliness and isolation were only temporary and something he would get over sometime, but it's much easier to say that if you haven't been dumped by two lesbian women that you had crushes on. Jeremy loved Lena, but he didn't think she could help him at all.

"Hey kid!" The bartender snapped at him. "Aren't ya too young to be in a place like this?"

"What?! No! I'm 23 years old! I can have a drink here!"

"Lemme see your ID," the bartender demanded. Jeremy did as he was told. The bartender kept squinting at the ID card handed to him, as if trying to detect some sort of forgery. It was a good thing that Jeremy remembered to give him his new Overwatch ID instead of his outdated driver's license.

"So, you're on Overwatch, huh?" The bartender growled.

"Y-Yes," Jeremy said nervously.

"Fuck you guys. All you ever do is disturb the peace around here. For a group of 'heroes' claiming to be defeating 'terrorists,' you guys sure commit a lot of violence and destroy a lot of property. Local patrons to my bar have died in acts of violence committed by you fuckers."

Jeremy was shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought that the Overwatch were made up of heroes, and that they were treated as celebrities for their good deeds to the world. And now here was a civilian saying, "I'm waiting for the Gibraltar government to just shut you guys down already. And almost everyone in this damned country is, too. We would be so much better off without you sons of bitches ruining everything good."

Not wanting to start a fight, Jeremy said, "Don't worry. I just joined, but I don't like it. I thought I was signing up for something better than this, but it's brought me nothing pain and misery. I wish I never joined this stupid group. Some 'heroes' we are. What kind of 'heroes' commit such horrible acts of violence and destruction to their own people?"

The bartender's face had softened up at that sentence. "Well, it's good to hear that you have some common sense, unlike your fellow 'heroes.' You should leave as soon as you can. Walk straight out the door to your headquarters, wherever they might be, and never look back. That's my advice. Your life will be so much better without those assholes ruining it. Now, what would you like to drink?" He asked, handing Jeremy his ID back.

Jeremy snapped out of his thoughts. He just realized that he had never actually looked to see what drinks the bar had. "Oh, um-uh…I'll h-have…your…uh…House Ale. A pint of it."

"Excellent choice, kid. One pint of House Ale coming right up."

Jeremy looked down at the table. The words of the bartender were replaying in his head. _Walk straight out the door…and never look back. Your life will be so much better without those assholes ruining it_. It seemed as though that were the right decision after all. Maybe the bartender was right. Maybe he really should just leave.

 _But what about Lena?_ He then thought. _What will I tell her? She loves me and wants to help me. Isn't it kind of selfish of me to want to leave Lena, one of the most selfless girls I have ever known, without one of her best friends? And with no way of keeping in contact with her? That's enough to make her break down and cry again_. And Jeremy did not like seeing Lena cry. He loved her so much that seeing her cry was torture to him. _Now you know how she feels when she sees you in pain. And that's why she wants you with her. She just wants to help you stop this heartbreak and drama that you're feeling._

Jeremy groaned. It felt very annoying to have to listen to same things over and over again. Obviously, the purpose of these voices was to help him make his decision, but God, it was such a difficult decision to make. He had to hear these same voices speaking over and over. This would be such an important decision in his life that he needed to hear these things as often as he could.

"Hey, kid! Here's your ale!" The bartender shouted, sliding it across the table towards Jeremy. He caught it, muttered, "Thanks," paid his seven pounds (the currency in Gibraltar), and started sipping on it. It was a black ale with a very bitter taste, but for some odd reason, Jeremy seemed to like it. He didn't want to drink too much of it, though, for obvious reasons.

After taking Lena's feelings into consideration, he was having second thoughts about leaving. He still wanted to leave the Overwatch, but he didn't want to leave Lena. He wanted to stay with her, so that she could help him with his problems. And Emily sounded like someone he wanted to meet, and Lena said that Emily would help him as well. _Maybe if I can get Lena to quit Overwatch as well, I could live not far from her, and we could all see each other every day, so that she can stay in her relationship with Emily, while still being able to keep her close friendship with me. That way, everybody wins._

But he figured he had a better chance of winning the lottery than getting Lena to quit Overwatch. Being a part of that group seems to be a very important part of her life, despite its' not so good reputation.

He then heard the bartender asking another patron what he would like, and the man there said, "You got any of that good sarsaparilla?" The man had a very gruff voice, with a Southern United States drawl to it. Jeremy could tell that this man would be happy to see him if he was up on a stage playing and singing music. He wouldn't care if he told him he was on Overwatch, in fact, that would probably piss him off. Jeremy wanted to make people, and it was clear to him that being on Overwatch was not the way to do it.

Jeremy sighed. It seemed like there was no easy way out of this. He had to leave Overwatch, and therefore, leave Lena and Emily behind as well. As much as it would hurt him, and them, it was a decision that he had to make.

He then called up the bartender and ordered for a plate of chicken strips and French fries. He didn't think his decision through very much anymore. He had his mind pretty much made up at this point. As he was waiting, he heard another fight starting to break out behind him.

"I knew it!" A man playing Poker Dice at a table behind Jeremy snarled. "I knew that you were winning too often!"

"What?" Another man snarled. "What's your fucking problem?"

"You're cheating! You're using fake dice! Look!" He picked up the dice at they rolled he same thing every time.

Seven.

Seven.

Seven.

" _Motherfucking Seven again!_ "

The other guy turned to his partner and said, "What?! Adam?! You gave me _loaded dice?!_ "

"Hey Chad, don't go pinning this on me! You decided to use those dice! You're the one who cheated that guy out of his money!"

"So, _you_ gave him those dice?"

"Hey, motherfucker, don't go saying-" He was then cut off by a sudden punch to the stomach. He then rebounded by punching his opponent in the head, and then he punched Chad the same way. Now Chad was teaming up with his opponent to take down Adam, who was his partner at the time.

Chad tried to punch him back in the head, but instead hit another drinker who was otherwise minding his business. The drinker then got into the fight as well. Before long, everyone in the bar was at each other's throats. There was yelling, punching, bottles and glasses being broken, pool cues being snapped, tables and chairs being smashed, and a pinball machine just got broken in the fight.

Jeremy tried his best to stay out of this. He didn't want to return back to Lena with broken bones and black eyes.

Speaking of Lena, Jeremy just got a text from her, saying, _Jeremy? Where are you? You've been gone for quite a long time now. Is everything all right? Please tell me you're not in any danger! P.S., Emily is now here. I want you to get back soon so you can meet her._

Jeremy tried to respond back to the fighting, but not being used to texting, he kept struggling. "I…am…doing..all – Damn it, I typed an F and not a D. Delete, delete, delete, _doing_ , all right…I am in…a…where's the B button on this thing? Oh, there it is…ba…where's the R? _bar_ …stay..ing…out..of…a…fi – No, I can't say that. Then she will freak out. Delete, delete. Having…a…r-round…of…ale – How do people even type with these things? It's too confusing. Wait-waiting…for…some…Oh, you gotta press 2 three times, yeah, that makes SO much sense. Chick…en – Oh, forget it! I can't type with this thing! The keyboard's too small!" He then decided screw it, and put his phone away. He would get back momentarily.

The fight behind him was now getting out of control. There was so much fighting that it seemed inevitable that Jeremy would get involved in it. And there's no way he'd be able to go up against so many huge bikers and drunk guys without his guns. Then he felt something hit him on his forehead. He caught the object with his hands and said, "And…that was a human tooth…"

He then said to the bartender, "Forget about those chicken strips. I'm outta here. Thanks for the ale." And then he sneaked around the chaos and went out the door before the bartender could stop him.

The bartender then reached behind the counter, pulled out a double-barrel shotgun, and shouted, "All right, ya cocksuckers! Break it up right now, or you're all getting it good!" He cocked his shotgun and pointed it at the fighters.

The fighting came to an abrupt halt, and everyone, with broken noses (and possibly broken bones) and bloody faces and hair, went back to drinking and gambling. The bartender put his shotgun away, and said, "I just lost a good potential customer because of you dipshits. And I am not happy about that at all. If this happens again, I won't even shout a warning before I start pumping your guts full of lead!"

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Finally escaping from the bar, Jeremy ran off. He had no idea where he was going, but he figured that in this town, he could surely find some place that could give him directions back to the Overwatch HQ. But then he remembered what the bartender said, _Walk straight out the door of your headquarters, wherever they may be_ , implying that he didn't know where Watchpoint was. Maybe no one else did. Maybe it was so super-secret that the general public wouldn't know about it.

Jeremy was glad at first, because he thought that he needed to leave at last, but then he remembered Lena's text. _Emily is here. I want you to meet her_. He figured that he needed to return just long enough to meet and greet Emily. He owed it to Lena. He needed to at least meet her girlfriend before leaving. But how would he get back? And how would he leave then?

After running some more, the answer to his questions presented itself. He came across another old building in town with some cars parked out front. These weren't cars that belonged to anybody. No, these cars were up for sale. Some of them looked pretty old, even for 2077. And indeed, there were description cards on some of them.

 _2068 Ford Explorer_

 _2055 Toyota Corolla_

 _2064 Dodge Durango_

 _2034 Honda Accord_

 _2016 Lexus LC500_

All these cars looked very stylish, sleek, and futuristic with all sorts of shapes and designs that Jeremy would have never thought possible for cars before. All the cars looked so alien to him, except for one. One stood out above all the others, and it was one that Jeremy had seen, and even drove in, before.

 _1967 Chevrolet Impala ("Supernatural" car). One of the last cars running on gasoline (Upgrade to electric as soon as possible)_

So many things in that description stood out to Jeremy. First off, "Supernatural car"? What the hell did that mean? Second, a car from 1967 still exists, _and_ is functional in 2077? It appeared to be in very good shape, and it looked like it would still run, even though it hadn't been used in years, and probably for a reason _One of the last cars running on gasoline_. So, Jeremy was right. Cars in the 21st Century don't run on gas anymore. They now seem to run on some sort of electric power. And on top of all this, who was selling these cars? The building he was at answered that question as well

VILLAGE ROADSHOW ANTIQUES OF GIBRALTAR. SELLING OLD ITEMS DATING BACK TO 1855.

And right under that was a banner that said, "AUCTION. TONIGHT ONLY IN THE GARAGE."

This gave Jeremy an idea. There was a car here from 1967. If he could get Winston to open up the portal that brought him into this year, then he could travel back to 1978, with this '67 Impala, and nobody would notice. And since it runs on gas, it was the only car he could drive in 1978. Jeremy decided to go inside the auction and bid on the car. Thanks to his mercenary days, and even his current Overwatch days, he was already a millionaire. He could surely afford to pick up this car now.

Jeremy walked into the garage behind the store where the auction was being held at. There were lots of people there, and even more interesting items up for bidding. There were couches and desks, large and small. There were floor lamps, table lamps, and other lighting equipment. There was even a section with guitars, electronic keyboards, pedals, and amps, but Jeremy never liked buying used gear, because he wanted to be sure that it sounded good and was in top quality.

There were bikes, treadmills, dumbbells, and bench presses. There was a corner where Jeremy could see snowmobiles, jet skis, and even a motorboat. In another corner, Jeremy saw a desk with firearms and ammunition. Not far from it were some kitchen tools that Jeremy had never seen before, like an air popcorn popper and a toaster oven. Also present at the auction were TVs, which looked nothing like what Jeremy was used to seeing. " _There's no buttons on these TVs. How do they work? Remote controls? Wow. That's impressive. And look at how thin they are. I can't believe that these things exist._ " Right next to them were computers. They were branded by the year they were made and their operating systems. Hewlett-Packard, 2033, Windows ME-2. Dell desktop, 2000, Windows 2000. Linux, 2043. HP laptop, 2014, Windows 10. There was even an Apple Computer 2 from 1977. Jeremy decided that he needed to get a computer so that he could learn how it worked. If computers were going to become a thing in the future (which he clearly saw they were), he needed to learn how to use them in order to not look like an old man. That, and also learn how to play the video game systems that were being displayed next to the computers, and all of their games as well. Games being auctioned off included _Doom 2016_ for the PC, _Freddy Fish and the Stolen Conch Shell_ , _StarFox_ for Super Nintendo, _Red Dead Redemption_ , _Super Mario Anthology (1985-2075)_ , and a second-hand copy of _Half-Life 3_ , currently the best-selling video game of all time.

There was also a section for games and toys as well, some of which Jeremy recognized, and others that he didn't. There was a bin containing old and new Hot Wheels and _Cars_ toys (which Jeremy thought looked similar to the Matchbox toys that he remembered playing with as a young kid), another bin with Beanie Babies, one with board games (some of which Jeremy knew, like Battleship, Clue, and Chutes and Ladders, and others that he didn't, such as Ticket to Ride and The Settlers of Catan), and a bin containing an unusual mix of toys, including some plastic aliens, a piggy bank (full of coins), Tyrannosaurus Rex action figure, a distinctly recognizable Mr. Potato Head, cowboy and cowgirl dolls, and a spaceman action figure, with plastic wings, a talkbox, and a laser light.

The auction in general seemed to be a very mixed bag of bits and pieces. But Jeremy was used to this. Auctions in general seemed to be just anything. You never know what you'll find at one. That's why whenever going to one, you better keep an open eye and pocket full of cash.

In the very back of the garage, was a stage. And on that stage was the man auctioning off the items up for grabs. He spoke into a microphone for everyone in there to hear, and he was accompanied by slideshows of pictures of each of the items being sold, so that the people there would have a visual description of what was being auctioned. The man spoke very fast. It seemed as though he wasn't putting periods in his sentences and occasionally felt like he was just gibbering the words, even though they were very clear.

"Antique oak desk, built in 1972, used on the set for the TV series M*A*S*H-" (" _Hey! I love that show!"_ thought Jeremy) "-Very good shape, very fine condition, up for grabs right here, right now, in this Village Roadshow Antiques Auction, minimum wager, seven thousand Gibraltar pounds. Seven thousand, do I have seven thousand? Seven thousand pounds- I got an offer for seven thousand. Do I have seven thousand, five hundred? Seven thousand, five hundred, to the man in the blue flannel shirt. Eight thousand, do I hear eight thousand? Eight thousand in this audience? Eight thousand over there? Eight thousand going once, going-Eleven thousand being offered to the lady in the yellow skirt. Eleven thousand-" He continued speaking very fast, as if he wasn't putting spaces in the words he was saying. This caused Jeremy to think, _Aw, Jeez. Doesn't he ever stop to take a breath?_ After continuing to ramble on, the desk was finally sold to an old man for 26,000 pounds.

Up next was an old computer, running on Windows 12, built in 2028. Jeremy decided he would bid on that thing. The computer even came with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Jeremy put down the initial bid of ten thousand pounds. There was, of course, some competition, but Jeremy was able to win the computer with a tip that his mother taught him: Underbid. That will convince people that the item being auctioned is a piece of junk and will convince them to not buy it. As such, he was able to win the computer for a "simple" twelve thousand pounds.

As Jeremy collected his computer, he was determined to learn how to use it, so that he could play games and design programs like a pro. Maybe it could serve as a backup career in case his musical career didn't work out. Besides, he was going back to 1978, before computers became huge and a very huge industry. He could capitalize on this up-and-coming moneymaker then.

The auction continued on for a while, during which several things went. Jeremy initially bid on a shotgun being sold off, but decided that it wasn't worth his money. He did bid on some Hot Wheels cars and orange track. He was starting to have an interest in collecting toys. Maybe he should start with something simple.

Finally, after an hour, came the '67 Impala. Initially, no one had any interest in it, but after the announcer said that it was the "Supernatural" car, interest began to spike. Jeremy made the first bid (25,000 pounds), hoping that it wouldn't receive many offers, but to his surprise, the offers kept coming in. As it passed 60,000 pounds, Jeremy realized his underbidding strategy wouldn't work. _Wow. Whatever "Supernatural car" means, it is really helping this car make money._

After the bidding passed 100,000 pounds, Jeremy wasn't real convinced he could afford it anymore. And the offers didn't stop there. "100,100. Do I have 100,100 pounds? 100,500 over there. 100,500. Do I have 200,000? 200,000 going once-300,000 to the man in the red polo shirt. 300,000 going once, going twice-"

"ONE MILLION POUNDS!" A voice familiar to Jeremy roared directly behind him.

Winston's voice.

Everyone gasped and turned to look at the giant gorilla that had just made such a high offer for such an old car. Even the announcer stopped dead in his speech at the sound of such a bid. He actually looked speechless. He didn't know what to do now. Jeremy, however, was more amazed that Winston found him all the way out there at the auction.

"Um…" The announcer said. "Uh…wow. That's such a high bid. I don't think we've…ever had…anything that…high be…fffore." Noticing the angry stare on Winston's face, the announcer quickly snapped back. "Oh, um. One million pounds. Do I have one million, five hundred?" No response. The auction was dead silent. "One million pounds. Going once. Going twice." He banged his gavel. "SOLD! To the armored gorilla in the back!"

Winston walked up the salesmen at the stage to collect the keys and manuals for the car. He walked back to Jeremy and said, "Hold out your hand."

Nervous, Jeremy did as he was told. Winston dropped the keys into his palm and said, "Congratulations. You just got a new car. It's outside, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Jeremy said, clearly shocked that Winston just shelled out a million pounds on a car for _him_. "Why did you do this?"

"You've had it pretty rough lately, and you seemed like you were passionate about getting this new car. Now let's grab some bananas and peanut butter and head back to Watchpoint," Winston said, before walking off to the concession stand.

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"I probably should have asked you this sooner, but do you have your driver's license?"

"I did, but it expired a hundred years ago."

Jeremy was driving the Impala back to Watchpoint. There was an onboard GPS that Winston put on so that Jeremy would know where he was going. He was lucky that the car still had a full tank of gas, because gas stations no longer existed, and there was a recommendation to upgrade the car to an electric as soon as possible. Winston said that Symmetra could do that. There was also an onboard CD player (installed in the early 2000's, when CDs were still around), and a hookup for digital devices, for current times. The computer and toys that he also won were in the trunk.

Winston was sitting in the backseat. It was very cramped and uncomfortable there, but the passenger seat was even worse, so Winston decided to accept the conditions, knowing that they would be back at the HQ soon. Still, Winston didn't like having to crane his neck over just because the car roof was too low. "Why couldn't General Motors in 1967 make these roofs bigger?!" he complained.

Jeremy laughed. He was driving a car late at night with a giant gorilla sitting in the back, eating bananas and drinking Swiss chocolate milk. It sounded like the start of a very bad joke. There was no way he could have gotten away with this in 1978. He would have certainly gotten weird looks, and maybe even a court summons.

"So," Winston said after a long period of non-talking. "I assume you wanted this car for something other than its' entertainment value?"

Jeremy was confused. "Um…Entertainment value?"

"You do know that this is the _Supernatural_ car, right?"

"Well, I saw that on the description, but what does that _mean_? What does 'Supernatural car' even mean?"

" _Supernatural_ was a TV series that ran for 13 seasons in the early 2000's. It was very popular and had a huge fanbase. This is the car that the main characters on that show use. I personally don't watch it, but Mei is a huge fan of that show, so that's how I know so much about it. She always liked going to these auctions in the hopes that she would find the car from that show. This was one night that she decided not to go." Winston stopped and chuckled. "Oh, she's gonna hate herself for blowing the one chance she had to get this car.

But I can tell you didn't buy this car for that reason, so what was it?"

Jeremy didn't want to answer that question to Winston, but knew that he would have to at some point, so he might as well do it now. "No offense, Donkey Kong, but I'm resigning from Overwatch."

Winston looked surprised. "Why?"

"Well, for a few reasons. One is-"

"Because Lena can't be your girlfriend?"

Now Jeremy was surprised. "Yes," Winston said, seeing his shocked look. "She told me everything. She even said that's why you tried to kill yourself the other day. She and I have been friends for a long time. She never keeps secrets from ol' Winston. And in case you feel like she thinks you're weak, she told me earlier how she thinks it's very impressive, and a little sexy, that you were able to take down a mountain bear all by yourself.

She's also told me that you haven't texted her back at all. She was really scared for a long time. Until I told her where you were, she thought the worst. She thought that you had been murdered or had killed yourself when she didn't get any kind of response from you."

"Oh yeah," Jeremy said, interrupting Winston. "That is one thing that's been on my mind lately: _How did you find me?!_ "

"We've been tracking you," Winston said. "We inserted a chip into your clothes that has a tracking device in it."

Jeremy looked down into the inside of his shirt. "So, that's what that little metal thing is."

"Yes. Did you ever stop and think why we let you just leave Watchpoint so easily, right after you tried to commit suicide? We couldn't take any chances. We've been keeping track of your journey, and with my teleporter, I was able to instantly get to where you were. I noticed that you've been at the auction for a long time, so you must have had a reason for that.

Also, did you have anything to drink?" Winston suddenly asked. "Yes, we also know that you stopped at The Green Dragon. Did you have anything to drink there? Because if you did, then maybe _I_ should drive."

Jeremy looked shocked. _It's a good thing I didn't stop into that strip club_ , he thought. "Just a pint of ale. It wasn't much at all," he quickly said, turning back to a skeptical Winston. "I feel like I can drive safely. It was just one pint, I can safely-"

"Eyes on the road! EYES ON THE ROAD!" Winston shouted, as Jeremy slammed on the brake at a red light that he was about to speed through. The sudden stop led to Winston accidentally jerking forward and hitting his head on the headrest in front of him.

"OW! That hurt!"

"Sorry, dude."

After the light turned green and the car moved on through, Winston continued the conversation. "You still haven't answered my question. Is this because of Lena?"

"Well, she's one reason. I just can't stand being around girls that I know I can't have."

"But don't you like her?"

"Of course I do! Despite everything, I still love her very much!"

"So that means you don't like seeing her sad?"

"Hell no! I want her to be happy! I want her to live the life of love and respect that she deserves! I want her to be with the one who makes her happy, the one that she wants to be with! And it's clear that the person she wants to be with is not me, so…" He sniffled a little bit. "I guess-"

"What if she wants both you _and_ Emily? Emily as her girlfriend and you as her second best friend? She loves you too, y'know. And you leaving Overwatch will surely break her heart, especially since she feels it's her responsibility to be an older sister to you and help you with the problems in your life. Why don't you just do it for her? Isn't that good enough to stay?"

"Well, I've thought of that, but it's not just her that makes me wanna leave. When I was at that bar, it became clear to me that the public hates you guys. The bartender said that he's lost loyal customers through your conflicts, and that everyone in the bar wants Overwatch shut down. I don't wanna be in a group that everyone hates."

"Didn't everyone in Teufort 1978 hate the RED and BLU teams as well?"

"Yeah, but that's different! Back then, I had no problem with being hated and lonely. Now I'm done with it! I wanna get out into the world! I wanna play music! I want people to actually _like_ me for a change! I want to make a difference, one that people will like. And people love to hear music.

I don't want to leave Lena without one of her best friends. I don't want to make her cry. I don't want her to be sad. And I don't just want to _see_ her sad, I don't want her to be sad, period. But it looks like I don't have a choice."

"But maybe you do," Winston said after some more silence.

"What?" Jeremy said.

"Lena wanted to wait until you got back to tell you, but she told me that an apartment right by her and Emily's house in London has a vacant spot, and that she wants you to buy it and move into it. That way, she and Emily can watch over you and help you. She knows how you feel, both your sadness and jealousy, and thinks that this will be a compromise between what you want and what she wants.

She'll never choose you over her happy relationship with Emily, but she doesn't want to. She wants to have both her relationship with her, and her very close friendship with you, and she thinks that this way, she can have both. And you'll still get to be with her, even though you can't be lovers. She thinks that this will make a good compromise, so that she, Emily, and you all get what you want."

Jeremy was surprised to hear this. He was amazed that Lena went through all this trouble so that both she and him would have what they wanted. Maybe now it was time to overcome his feelings of envy and do what she wanted. He didn't want to make her sad, but here was a chance to have his chance at a musical career, away from Overwatch, and for her to remain Emily's girlfriend while still maintaining a happy friendship with him.

It was at that moment when they finally arrived back at Watchpoint. "Pull in here," Winston said, pointing to a giant steel door. "It's the entrance to Symmetra's workshop. She'll convert your car to an electric." As Jeremy pulled up to the door, it opened. He drove the car down a long passage before stopping the car at a dead end. This clearly was Symmetra's workshop.

Winston, after some struggling, got out of the car. "Argh! Damn thing! I'm never riding in there again!" He noticed that Jeremy was still in the car.

"I'm just thinking about what you just told me," he said.

"Take all the time you need, boy," Winston said sympathetically. "But just remember that you don't have to choose your happiness over hers. She's come up with a way for both of you to be happy, and I suggest that you strongly consider it," he said. And then he walked inside.

Jeremy sat in the car, pondering his decision. He certainly had a lot to think about.

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Half an hour later, Jeremy walked back inside. He was about to go back up to his room, when he heard a familiar sound. It sounded like a movie that he remembered watching during his childhood. He opened the door to the Watchpoint entertainment room, and saw that a lot of the Overwatch was watching _Pinocchio_ on the TV. He decided to stop and stay for a while. Maybe Lena and Emily were down here, watching it as well.

"Aw, howdy partner!" Engie shouted. "Sit down! We're watching one of your favorites!"

 _Pinocchio_ wasn't one of Jeremy's favorites, in fact, these days, it kind of creeped him out. Especially the scene that was playing right now, where the Coachman was taking the boys to Pleasure Island.

Winston was there as well. He was watching the movie for the first time in his life. "Hey, Wins. Are the girls down here?"

"No," he said. "They went to bed a while ago. You've got to wait until morning to speak to them."

"Oh, OK." He thought he might watch the movie for a while anyway, at least until the part where it started getting creepy.

Pharah was done there as well. She spent most the movie shaking her head. She couldn't believe of all the things that made it into a movie that was said to be for kids. There were so many scary and inappropriate moments in this movie that she wouldn't show it to her kids, if she ever had any, especially this scene with Pinocchio and other boys fighting in a bar.

" _Tobacco Row! Get your cigars, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco here! Come in and smoke your heads off!_ "

" _Pinocchio_ ," Reinhardt chuckled. "A movie with kidnappings, homicidal puppeteers, and kids smoking and drinking. Rated G for kids and parents of all ages!"

"Aye," Demoman said. "But that place looks like fun. I wanna be there!"

Very much like Pharah, Winston wondered what caused Walt Disney to say OK to what he was seeing on the TV right now.

At that moment, Jeremy decided to call it a night. It wasn't because of the movie, he was just tired. As he left the room, he noticed that Mei was cowering behind the couch. She knew what was to happen to Pinocchio and the other boys in a few minutes as well, and she clearly didn't like it. Jeremy thought about telling her about the car that he picked up at the auction, but decided to wait until morning.

As he headed up to his room, he decided that it would be wise to hear this story about the apartment directly from Lena herself. If he truly did love her, then he would listen to what she had to say. He owed her that. He also had to allow Lena to properly introduce him to her girlfriend. But now was not the time to do it. Now was the time to get some sleep.

Earlier, Jeremy was so sure that he had made his decision and that there would be no changing it, but now, as he was climbing into bed and preparing for a good night's sleep, he was having second thoughts. Maybe living close to the two girls wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. It might even help him overcome his inferiority complex and envy tendency.

But now he was too tired to think any further. He would think more, and speak more, in the morning.

 **A couple of things I want to speak briefly about. In case the bar scene feels a bit out of place, I put it in there to give the impression that the Overwatch were not well-liked in the general public, and the talk with the bartender was persuasion for Jeremy to quit, much like how the talk with Winston was to persuade him to stay.**

 **I apologize if this fanfic feels a little repetitive at times. I try to cut down on that as much as I can.**

 **Oh, and to that guest reviewer who wants me to acknowledge that Scout took down a bear with only his raw strength and wit, there you go. Happy now?**

 **Also, could someone PLEASE create a SFM picture of Jeremy driving the car with Winston sitting in the backseat? That very image just cracks me up.**

 **Thanks for watching. Next chapter will be up shortly!**


	11. Chapter 11: Tracer Gets Pissed

" **Is that a Home Alone reference?" –Lord Demolitions, on my "pumping your guts full of lead" line.**

 **It wasn't intended to be, but now that you mention it, it really is one. I'm surprised you saw that. I thought you would actually notice my intended** _ **Big Lebowski**_ **and** _ **Road to El Dorado**_ **references in this chapter.**

" **Alright so I was the one who asked if you wanted to be a professional writer on the last chapter and, I gotta say, I'm REEEEALLY enjoying this more than I thought I would. I'm glad you're actually continuing to write this unlike others who just quit writing the fanfic after 2 weeks. I appreciate that.**

 **Just a quick question: Do you ever plan on making Lena bisexual? I'm not sure if Blizzard actually said she was a lesbian so yeah apologies for not keeping up to date with the Overwatch canon but I'm just curious. Part of me still wants a Scout and Lena romance but it probably won't happen."** **  
** **-A loyal reader**

 **Thank you for letting me know that all the time I'm putting into this is being appreciated. I am trying to make this more than the average fanfiction, in which it's not just an excuse to have two characters fucking OOC or a few silly one-shots. I am trying to make this seem real and believable, particularly the earlier suicide attempt scene. I got reviews saying that made people cry, and that told me that this was not just an ordinary fanfiction. This was something more than that.**

 **As for Tracer being bisexual, I have thought about that. Blizzard never** _ **explicitly**_ **said that she was gay, only** _ **queer**_ **, which is really an umbrella term for LGBT people, so it is possible that Tracer could be bisexual after all.**

 **But let's be honest. Even if she was, there's no way that she would dump Emily just because she has feelings for Scout.**

 **And let's face it. Just because she's a lesbian (or bi and happens to have a girlfriend), that doesn't mean she can't have guy friends, right? And it is possible that she just might have one guy friend that she has very strong feelings for. You can believe that a real lesbian woman would have a guy friend that she cares so much about, right?**

 **So, to answer your question, a** _ **true**_ **Scout and Tracer fanfic is probably not going to happen, as much as I would like it to, because believe me, I think that the two of them look so cute together. I believe that Scout and Tracer can really bring out the best in each other and especially make each other laugh. I, personally, believe there is some humor is listening to their Boston and British accents playing off of each other (As in, making fun of their phraseology, like Dude vs Bloke, Crap vs Blimey, Ass vs Arse, that sort of thing).**

 **So, if you want a Scout and Tracer romance story, you will have to write it yourself. Frankly, that's one of the reasons I even started writing this fanfic. So that other writers will then write their own Scout/Tracer stories**

 **That's enough of review responses, now on with the show.**

Jeremy woke up the next morning. He didn't know where he was at first. He hadn't slept in his bed in Room 7G in so long that he sort of forget what it looked like. But looking around the room, he saw several things familiar to him: His rows of guitars and keyboards, his large pedalboard on the floor, his collection of vinyls and CDs, with a huge stereo which can play vinyls, cassettes, CDs, and digital devices. There were also rock band posters on the walls, particularly his prized Jimi Hendrix and Tom Jones posters, a desk with a computer on it which he won the previous night at an auction, and more than a few Dr. Pepper cans lying around. Make no mistake, this was his room at Watchpoint, Gibraltar.

Jeremy got out of bed. His head hurt. He put a lot of thought into what Winston said about Lena offering to help and support him by buying an empty apartment close to her and Emily's house in London. But he knew that he had to think about it some more. And not just think, he actually had to talk to Lena _and_ Emily, whom he hadn't even met yet, about it. He still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but he owed it to Lena to at least listen to what she had to say.

It was another day off for the Overwatch. They weren't expected to fight again for another few days. This was why Winston temporarily allowed Emily to stay at Watchpoint, which he didn't usually allow to civilians. Everyone was down in the Mess Hall, having breakfast. Jeremy figured he might as well join them. After taking a shower, and putting on his normal clothes (in his case, basketball shorts and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt), he went down as well.

He was in a good mood. His headache was starting to fade away, and he could smell one of his favorites cooking from the Mess: Chocolate pancakes. Jeremy enjoyed eating those with some sliced bananas and peanut butter. And with a giant gorilla in charge of the operation, he knew that those two items were in no short supply. "Maybe I'm Winston's son," Jeremy joked to himself. "Or maybe even Elvis's."

Speaking of Elvis, as Jeremy entered the mess hall, he saw Hana Song wearing another one of his shirts, and it was his Elvis at the International Hotel in 1969 shirt, which Jeremy actually got on a road trip to Las Vegas that he and his brothers made behind their mother's back. She thought they were going to out-of-state colleges and universities for his older brother, Jesse. It was during this time that his brothers began to treat him like a real brother and not just a punching bag, but Jeremy still had to twist their arms to let him tag along.

 _Why is she wearing my shirts?_ _I thought she hated rock music. And why is her face red?_ He thought to himself as he walked into the mess hall, right past her. Not only did she appear to blushing, but she was trying her hardest to look away from him.

Mei was down there as well, and she looked drowsy. As Jeremy heard her talk to her friends, he found out why.

"Why did you guys have to play _Pinocchio_ right before bedtime last night? I had trouble sleeping because of it!"

"Oh, what's so scary about it?" Reinhardt teased her. "What's so scary about a bunch of boys turning into donkeys and being shipped off to slavery?"

"What isn't scary about it?!" Mei shouted. "People like that…coachman…are too real in this world! That's what makes it so scary!"

"That's not even the scariest thing that she's ever seen," Hanzo teased. "Remember _A Night on Bald Mountain_?"

Mei shuddered. "Please don't bring that up. I always hid behind the couch whenever my parents played it!"

" _Toy Story 3_?" D. Va said, now joining in the mocking.

"THE TOYS WERE HOLDING HANDS IN THE INCINERATOR! IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS OVER FOR THEM!" Widowmaker, never known for smiling and laughing, chuckled at Mei's expense.

"Oi, mates," Junkrat said, grinning. "Let's not forget about her real childhood terror. Let's not forget _The Brave Lit-_ "

"DON'T MENTION THAT MOVIE!"Mei screeched. "Kids' entertainment, my ass! I COULDN'T SLEEP FOR A MONTH BECAUSE OF THAT…. _UGGGHHH_ …GODDAMNED HORROR FILM!" Mei was turning white right now.

Jeremy stood back laughing at her, he noticed something strange: Lena wasn't down here eating. He went up to Winston, who was eating some chocolate pancakes with bananas and peanut butter ( _Butter get it while I still can_ , Scout thought), and asked if he had seen Lena at all this morning, and Winston said, "Not yet. D. Va says that she's upstairs in her room, taking a shower. And I think Emily is, too."

Jeremy did his best to hold back the jealousy that he was feeling right now, knowing that somebody was in the shower with Lena, and it wasn't him. But instead of venting out in the open for everyone to see, he decided to simply collect his breakfast and eat it.

He didn't get any weird looks this time around, most likely because he filled up his plate with chocolate griddlecakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, his usual dish. To everyone else, it seemed like everything was back to normal again. But Jeremy and only a few others knew that this whole squabble was not over yet.

He sat down in a corner by himself, trying his best to avoid attracting attention. But things just kept getting harder. He saw Medic and Mercy enjoying a long, passionate kiss with each other. Both doctors knew how obvious their secret relationship was, and from now on, weren't even trying to keep it secret. They would just openly flaunt about it in public now. This only made him feel more jealous by the fact that somebody on the RED Team found love, and it wasn't him.

Then Jeremy heard D. Va's voice. "Hey! Jer! Come sit over here!" She shouted with a bit of hesitation. She still looked a little bit flushed. Jeremy decided that he should, because he could tell that she would not stop yelling at him until he did as she wanted.

As he sat down, Hana stammered, "Um…uh…I…hear that…you…won some cool stuff at the…auction…last night."

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Oh, a little bird told me. Or shall I say a _big bird_?" She giggled at her own joke, and blushed a little as well. "He also told me of another… _big_ …prize you won that night. I believe an old car?"

Some of the RED Team was starting to look at them now. Scout won a car last night? How is that possible?

"Well, yeah. I mean, it wasn't much, especially by today's standards. It was just a black, four-door, hardtop 1967 Chevrolet Impala that Winston helped me-"

"YOU WHAT?!" He was interrupted by Mei shouting at him. "You bought WHICH car?!"

"Uh, '67 Chevy Impala. One of the last cars running on gas. Anyway, you'll never believe how much Winston paid-"

" **YOU BOUGHT THE FUCKING SUPERNATURAL CAR?!** " Mei screamed at him. "You are telling me…that you bought…" She looked very pissed now. "…the highly…sought-after…highly valuable…Winchester dream machine…from my favorite TV show?! WHERE DID YOU GET IT?!"

"Uh, the antique auction just down the-"

Mei groaned and pounded her head. "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! The ONE NIGHT I didn't go to that fucking auction, and they just happened to have it there!" She then grabbed Jeremy by his collar and shouted, "WHERE IS IT?!"

"My workshop," Symmetra said.

Without another word, Mei immediately stormed out of the Mess Hall.

Everyone in stared in surprised. Some of them knew why Mei was so angry, others were confused. Especially the RED Team. Supernatural car? What the hell did that mean? And why is she so jealous that Jeremy has it? But everyone then turned back and continued eating.

Hana resumed the conversation. "So…have you thought about Lena lately?"

Jeremy looked surprised, but responded in a voice that hinted that he really didn't want to talk about it, "Yeah."

"You know, she just wanted me to tell you that just because you can't have her, that doesn't mean that every girl in the world hates you. You just have to look harder to find the right one. She may not even be someone you expect." As she was speaking this, she had a huge grin on her face.

"What's that supposed to do to make me feel-" Jeremy then stopped and looked up at her. "Wait a minute. Why are _you_ telling me this? Why isn't Lena telling me? I'm beginning to think that you're trying to hit on me."

Embarrassed, Hana quickly said, "Wait? No! I'm not hitting on you, you pervert!"

"Well, it sure sounds like it. You're speaking to me in a seductive way, you're saying things that you claim come from Lena's mouth, _you're wearing my Elvis shirt, for crying out loud!_ Why have you been wearing my clothes lately?!"

"Um…I…Uh…" Blushing, Hana was struggling to come up with something to say, so she just began spewing out the first words that came into her head! "I don't feel a damn thing for you, you perverted moron! You're dumb, you're stupid, you're worthless, you contribute nothing to this team, and you're a fucking loser! So you can play a lot of instruments! So what?! What does that prove? It proves nothing! Why would I feel anything _for a_ _selfish, self-absorbed jackass like you?!_ "

Angered, and clearly hurt, Jeremy picked up his tray and said, "Well, if that's how you feel, then this ' _selfish, self-absorbed jackass_ ' will finish his breakfast upstairs in his room and leave you in peace. _Good morning_." And with that, he left, to everyone's surprise.

Quickly regretting what she said, Hana tried to stop him. "Wait, Jeremy! Don't go! I'm sorry I said that! I didn't mean to! I wasn't thinking about what I was saying! I didn't mean anything that I just-" But it was too late. Jeremy had already walked out of the door. Hana turned back and scolded herself. "Hana Song, _you fucking bitch!_ Why did you snap at him like that?! Now he'll never listen to you again!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, and did I forget to mention that he _fought and killed a grizzly bear?_ And he did it _all by himself?_ "

"Wow! That's awesome! There's not many people, even like you guys, who can do that without weapons or technical tricks!"

Lena and Emily were walking down the hall from their bedroom into the mess hall. They were chatting and laughing together as though they were still teenage girls in high school. Lena had by now accepted that some people never really grow up. She was 26, and Emily was 27, but they still had very teenage-girl-like tendencies, such as gossiping, giggling, and chatting endlessly.

Emily was a very attractive woman. She was currently wearing a red sweatshirt with white polka dots and a red skirt and stockings to match. She had red hair and brown eyes, and, just like Lena, freckles on her face. Lena, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of Scout's blue shorts and a black T-Shirt that said, " **2 ∞ & →**." For both girls, their hair was wet, hinting that they had just stepped out of the shower, which they did.

Lena was telling Emily about Jeremy, all of his feats and skills, and everything she loved about him. She also told him about him having a crush on her, her coming out to him, the suicide attempt, and her mental breakdown. Lena truly loved her girlfriend. She never kept secrets from Emily, and vice versa. After hearing all this, Emily really wanted to meet him and tell him that he had finally found some girls who will help him with all his problems, and they would start with that by telling him about the vacant apartment next to their house in London. The two girls' plan was that he would live there whenever the Overwatch doesn't need him, and then they would visit him frequently and maybe even ask him for some music lessons. Emily was just as intrigued with playing music as Lena was. If they had time and money, they might even take him out to lunch or dinner every so often.

They were expecting to find him eating breakfast in the mess hall with everybody else, but when they got down there, they noticed he wasn't there. They also noticed a very pissed off Mei and a very ashamed D. Va.

"Is Jeremy down here?" Lena asked.

"He was," Winston said, "But after some yelling from these two girls, he went back up to his room."

"OK, what happened this time?"

"He bought my dream car without even telling me that it was up for sale at the auction!" Mei shouted.

"How was he supposed to know that you wanted it? I don't think he even knows what _Supernatural_ is," Lena told her. "And even if he did, he had every right to buy it. He didn't have to tell you anything."

Mei wanted to respond back to that, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she resumed eating, though she was still angry about it. More angry at herself for passing up a good opportunity, though.

"What about you, Hana?" Lena asked. "Why are you looking so glum?"

Hana didn't want to speak, but forced herself to. "I…I…I kinda…snapped at him when he…came down."

" 'Snapped'?" Junkrat laughed. "More like she blew her bloody top off at him when he noticed that she was falling for him!"

D. Va blushed after hearing that and shouted, "That's not true! I'm not falling for him! I don't love him!" But as she said this, she noticed that nobody was buying it. She was, after all, wearing one of his shirts. "Well…Maybe a little." She squirmed back down in her chair.

Lena and Emily were starring at each other and grinning. "Oh my God," Emily said with a smirk.

"You are in love with that bloke?" Lena said, also smirking, "I thought you said that he was a creep and a loser!"

"Well, he is!" Hana shouted. "He's nothing but that! All he ever does is-"

"Save your breath," Lena said. "It's obvious that you are in love with him. The question is, why?"

Hana blushed, looked down, and said, "Well…I…kinda have a thing for…sad guys."

"Why? So you can enjoy laughing at them?" Emily said, giggling.

"No! That's not true! I just think that…sad guys are…more human than…most others. If a guy is carrying some heavy weight on his shoulders, it means they know pain. And most guys who struggle for life need somebody to love them. They're insecure. They need comfort.

I can safely say that those kinds of guys aren't the bullying, abusive, controlling type. Believe me, I had boyfriends in high school who were like that. But if someone like Jeremy has had a troubled life, then I know that those people…value their girlfriends so much. They treat them like human beings and not just sex toys." She sighed and continued. "I just know that…if Jeremy was my boyfriend…I know he wouldn't do anything to hurt me…And because of how sad and lonely he is…I would give him all the comfort I could give him," she said, looking down.

Lena and Emily were no longer laughing. They were now taking this seriously. "Hey, don't worry, love. Emily and I said that if we could, we play matchmakers for Jeremy. Maybe we can get you two to hook up. You two just might be right for each other." Indeed, Hana Song was very much like Jeremy, and even Lena. She was very young, spunky, and always had jokes up her sleeve. Also like Jeremy and Lena, there was more to her under the surface.

"I…I don't know," she said. "It might just be nothing for a crush. I'm not sure he feels the same way about me that he feels towards you. And I think I just blew the only chance I might have had with him by calling him a jackass when he came down here."

Lena and Emily now looked concerned. "Why did you call him that?"

"I…I wasn't thinking. He figured that I was crushing on him, and I…didn't want him…to know that yet. So, I just tried to get his attention away from it by just saying the first things that came into my head. So I called him selfish and a jackass, and…Oh, I knew that was wrong. I knew I shouldn't have said that. Now he's eating breakfast upstairs in his room." She put her head on her hands and said, "Oh, what have I done? He thinks nobody loves him, and I just made that seem more true."

It was during that moment when Spy got up from his seat and cleared his throat. "Everyone, I have a confession to make, and I would like to do it with all of you in here."

At first, Lena paid no attention. She wanted to talk more about Jeremy. She was actually getting ready to go upstairs to his room and speak to him, but she changed her mind as soon as Spy said, "Remember all those times I was joking about me being his father?"

"Oh yeah, mate." Sniper laughed. "Crikey, you gave them the hardest of times with that joke!"

"Well, it was not a joke. It is true. I am his father."

Lena turned in his direction. She was shocked and amazed to hear this. This French man, who was part of Scout's team, was his father the whole time? _How did he not know this?_ She thought. _How could he not know….wait a minute…_

"I had the doctor here take some samples of the two of us," he said, holding up two small vials of blood, one with his, the other with Jeremy's, "And he concluded that indeed, the genes and DNA are similar enough to conclude that the boy is my son."

But Lena wasn't paying attention to this. Now, she was remembering something that Jeremy had said to her: " _My father left me when I was little. I never knew who he was. Spy jokes about it, but I refuse to believe that a killer like him could be my pa. And if he was, why didn't he come back? Why did he leave me, my bros, and my ma all by ourselves? Wouldn't he have guessed that I needed some father figure to play catch with me when I was young? I guess that all the problems that I've been struggling through, such as my insecurity, all started with my dad leaving._

After remembering this, Lena was no longer smiling. Or amazed. Or shocked. Now she was starting to get angry. Angry that this man, who claims to be her best friend's father, left his son when he was so young and vulnerable.

"So, all along," Engie said, " _You_ were his daddy? That left him?"

"I hate to say this, but, yes. I left him and his family when he was a young boy."

 _How could you?!_ Lena thought. Her muscles were tensing up right now. _How could you abandon the boy that I care so much about? You're the reason why he's so depressed! You started this whole thing!_ Emily noticed Lena getting angry. "Lena, sweetie, what's wrong?"

But Lena wasn't listening. She stood up from where she was and bluntly spoke, "So, you're my best mate's dad, huh?"

Everyone turned to face her. Some Overwatch members were getting nervous. Lena was getting angry. Lena _never_ got angry. She was showing more aggression now than she ever did against Talon.

"Yes, I am. I am his real, biological parent."

"Who left him alone when he was young."

Spy could feel Lena's anger seeping out of her. "Young lady, please listen. I-"

"NO," Lena said low and slow, fuming at him. " _You_ listen." She then tore off her gloves and cracked her knuckles. Loud _cricks_ came from both of her hands. D. Va and Mei gulped. This wasn't the Tracer they knew. Rarely did she ever get angry, and whenever she did, it was never aggressive. In fact, whenever she did get a little pissed off, she actually looked very cute.

But this Lena did not look cute. She was mad, and she even looked a little terrifying. Her fists were clenched. So hard, in fact, that they were turning white. Her face was red, but it was clearly not from embarrassment. Veins were visible in her hands, a one even seemed to be bubbling up on her forehead. The Overwatch members and even the RED Team knew this was going to be a quick, fun fight like the ones they had against Talon. There wasn't going to be a cheerful Lena shouting, "Cheers, love! The cavalry's here!" Oh no, not by a long shot. Playtime was over. This time it looked real. This time, it was personal. This time, it looked like Tracer was out for blood.

"When you left him," she continued. "Do you realize the pain that you had left with him?"

"Let me explain-"

"Growing up with several older blokes is not pleasant. But it could have been if he had a father figure to support him and help him to defend or fight back. Or at least reassure him that the world isn't against him!"

"Please-"

" _You started this whole life of misery that he is now living. He thinks that everyone in this world hates him. Perhaps he wouldn't feel that way if a certain person were there for him when he needed it!_ " She growled through clenched teeth. " _I sometimes wish I could use Winston's teleporter to go back to when he was young. Then he might have the comforting older sister that he never had! Maybe then his life wouldn't be so broken!_ " She then picked up a glass from the table, and squeezed it so hard that it shattered in her hand.

Everyone on the RED Team held their breaths. Even Spy looked scared, too. Spy never showed fear towards anything (expect occasionally the Pyro or Jarate). In a corner table, McCree, Reinhardt, Genji, and Hanzo huddled together, hardly daring to breathe. Even they were looking scared as well.

"I found a very good friend in Jeremy. I spend so much time away from my girlfriend, that I sometimes feel guilty over leaving her alone." She stood up onto the table and marched over to Spy, stepping on dishes and cracking them in the process. "With Jeremy, _I found somebody else whom I had so many things in common with. I found my Overwatch soul mate. And he is one of the sweetest guys I have ever met! He does has done so much for me! He assures me that I'm not a bitch for leaving Emily by herself! He wanted me to be his girlfriend, and I KNOW that he would have been THE GREATEST BOYFRIEND ANY GIRL COULD ASK FOR!_

And after I say no, because I'm gay, where do I find him next? _In his room, with a gun pointed at his mouth!_ And why? Because he had been through this before! He fell for another gay girl, who, from what I hear, didn't even care that much for him to begin with! And where were you? _Huh?!_ Where were you?! _You disgusting backstabber,_ WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOUR SON NEEDED YOU?!" She spat out. Spy remained silent, as did the rest of the RED Team, and even the Overwatch. No one dared to interrupt her now.

"Just as I thought," Lena huffed, taking slow and huge breaths in and out through her mouth. She was walking closer to Spy. Now her eyes were just inches away from his. "You left him alone. _You didn't even ask him how he was feeling! And it was becoming SO obvious that something was wrong with him! You left him alone again, like you always have done,_ YOU VILE, ROTTEN, UNCARING, CHEATING, LYING, BACKSTABBING COWARD!" She then swung her fist right into his face. His nose broke with a loud _crack_. Everyone in the room winced at the sound of that.

Spy fell to the floor. Blood was seeping down his face from his nose. That punch was so painful, it wasn't even funny. Tom and Jerry cartoons were less violent than that.

But Lena wasn't finished yet. Standing over him, she made it absolutely clear that she was far from done with him. Not while her fists were white, her face was red, her muscles were bulged, and what appeared to be steam was rising from her forehead.

"I WAS SO LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO HIS ROOM AND STOP HIM BEFORE HE SHOT HIMSELF! YOU NEVER EVEN SHOWED UP UNTIL AFTER I STOPPED HIM! _THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU EVER SHOWED ANY SORT OF CARE FOR HIM! AND IT WAS AFTER HIS SUICIDE ATTEMPT! IN THE SHORT TIME THAT HE'S BEEN LIVING WITH ME, I'VE BEEN A BETTER PARENT THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN!_ " She shouted. She was shouting so loudly, in fact, that some others were covering their ears from it. And with that, she gave him another whack in the head.

What really surprised the RED Team was that as Spy was getting the crap beaten out of him, he didn't seem to be putting up any sort of defense. He was more than couple of fighting off enemies with weapons, much less those without, but he didn't even seem to be trying to get Lena to stop beating him.

"Miss Oxton, please, let me explain," he whimpered. Yes, _whimpered_. Since when did Spy ever whimper for mercy? "I had a good reason for-"

" **SHUT UP!** " Lena screamed. Continuing to punch him, she only seemed to be putting more force into her attacks. She was beating him so badly, in fact, that McCree saw a tooth land in front of him. "THERE IS NO GOOD REASON FOR LEAVING YOUR SON! NONE! AT ALL! AND NOT ONLY DID YOU LEAVE HIM, YOU NEVER CAME BACK! NOT EVEN SO MUCH A VISIT OR A LETTER OR EMAIL (She didn't know that the RED Team didn't have email in 1978) OR ANYTHING! AND YOU COULD HAVE TOLD HIM ANYTIME WHEN YOU WERE WORKING WITH HIM! BUT YOU NEVER DID! **HE'S NOT EVEN DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! HE STILL DOESN'T KNOW THAT SUCH A SLIMY SNAKE LIKE YOU IS HIS DAD!** "

Now everyone was so scared at seeing Lena in such a blind rage that Emily and D. Va flipped over some tables and crouched behind them as a barrier. The rest of the group joined in. They didn't even care that their uneaten breakfast was now crashing on the floor and going to waste. They were more concerned with getting out of this alive. Even the strong ones like Winston and Pharah were hiding behind the tables to avoid Lena's wrath. Even the cold and ruthless Widowmaker jumped behind in fear.

After kicking him in his testicles,, and karate-chopping his ribcage, and more punches in the face, Lena paused just long enough to say, "And now…" with heavy breathing in between, "Since there's no one else he can turn to…I…am going to be…the older sister that he never had! _Because I know what he's going through! I know his pain! His pain, which he doesn't deserve to have!_ I, LENA OXTON, AM GOING TO HELP HIM REPAIR HIS BROKEN LIFE, WHICH YOU HELPED TO BREAK IN THE FIRST PLACE! _I DON'T CARE IF IT TAKES ME FOREVER TO HELP HIM! I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO DO IT BY MYSELF!_ **I WILL DO IT BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE WILL! I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE HIM THE HAPPIEST BOY ON EARTH!** _ **AND I WILL EVEN KILL CERTAIN NEGLECTFUL**_ _ **FATHERS IF THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES TO END HIS TORMENT!**_ " She screamed at the top of her lungs. Then, without any warning, she picked up Spy all by herself, and threw him against the Mess Hall wall.

Everyone cringed at hearing the impact. Now this was truly unexpected. No one would have _ever_ predicted that Tracer could be capable of delivering such a violent, vengeful rage like that. She never even showed it to her enemies. So this was just unbelievable.

What's more, Tracer continued to throw Spy around the room. And that wasn't it. She slammed his against tables, smashed dishes and glasses over his head, and, at one point, even dumped a teapot full of hot water over him. Spy screamed in pain and agony, but this only seemed to make Tracer angrier. She saw one of Symmetra's hammers lying around. She picked up, and with a good swing, broke Spy's left arm with it.

As his very loud and agonizing scream rang out, Medic and Mercy wanted to rush to his aid so badly, but were afraid that Tracer would beat them up as well, so they simply stayed put. Others, however, ran out the door to hide somewhere safe.

Meanwhile, Emily was crying. She was now scared of her own girlfriend, and she hated it. She thought that she was just taking out some anger on someone, but she had never done it to anyone to this degree. She wasn't sure if she could even talk to her again.

After repeated smashing across the face with the hammer, Tracer finally delivered the final blow to Spy. She picked him up, and threw him over the crouched people, and into the kitchen area, where he landed with loud crashes, bangs, grunts, bone breaks, and shatters.

The Mess Hall was now well deserving of its' name. It truly was a mess. The walls were cracked, broken dishes and food were lying everywhere, tables were turned over, and Spy was lying unconscious in the kitchen, having crashed into a large pile of dishes, pots, and pans. A huge pot of boiling water had even fallen over him. He was covered in blood, bruises, burns, and scratches. His mask was torn, and blood was pouring out of his mouth.

Lena stood where she was, panting heavily, with her hands on her knees. She looked beyond pissed, but also very exhausted. While not being ones to assume, most of the crew there guessed that it was over now. But most were still too afraid to come near her. Most, but not all.

D. Va stood up from behind the barricade, and slowly walked over to Tracer. She still looked pretty scary, but looking into her eyes, D. Va could see a slight bit of regret. "Um…Lena?" She softly spoke up.

"WHAT?!" Lena hissed at her. D. Va backed off, but then Tracer softened up a bit. "I'm…I'm sorry, Hana. I…I didn't mean…to scare you."

"It…It's OK, Lena. Here, uummm…why don't we…go up to your room? You…can't…go speak to Jeremy looking like that."

Lena sighed. "You're right. I can't afford to scare him off as well. Let's go." As they walked over the barricade of tables, Tracer looked over to a crouching Emily, and said with tears in her eyes, "Emily…I'm sorry."

Emily was still afraid, but she decided to come with her. She had hoped that this all just some anger venting, and that she wouldn't take it out on her. "Please don't hit me," she squeaked.

"I…I won't. I promise," Lena said, crying. She held out her hand to Emily, and after some thinking, she took it. Lena was slightly relieved. She was afraid that she might have just destroyed their relationship with that blowup.

After they left, Medic and Mercy rushed over to the unconscious but somehow still alive Spy. "Is he going to be all right?" Mercy asked.

"I…I can't tell," Medic said. "He seems to have taken so many bad hits. I vonder if even ve can save him."

"Vell, ve are heroes," Mercy said, patting his shoulder. "Ve have to try."

"Ja. Let's get him to ze sickbay." He grabbed one of Spy's arms, Mercy grabbed the other, and the two doctors led him to the sickbay.

 **Bet you guys weren't expecting Lena to just explode like that, did you? I wanted to show Tracer as someone who is easily controlled by her emotions. Earlier, I showed her feeling so happy to be spending time with Scout and having a mental breakdown over his suicide attempt. Then, I got to thinking, if her emotions can so easily tell her what to do, how angry could she possibly get? Very much like Scout's musical abilities, I wanted to show a side of Tracer that nobody would have expected.**

 **I spent a lot of time doing this chapter because I wanted to gradually build up Lena's emotions upon her hearing who Scout's father was. I wanted to go from shock, then to irritation, then to anger, then to hatred, and finally at pure, uncontrolled rage. I hope I managed to do that in this chapter. Looking back, I now realize how fitting it was that I described Mei being terrified by the movie** _ **The Brave Little Toaster**_ **when she was a little girl, as that's the movie that gave me the inspiration for Tracer's violent rage in this chapter.**

 **Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I wanted it to be done right. I hope I can get the next chapter up soon.**


	12. Chapter 12: Wake Up and Smell the Love

" **You have made me legitimately scared of tracer... Let this be a lesson. Don't piss off small English people." – CTHULHU  
** **It appears as though I have done what I set out to do. I wanted to scare readers with this chapter, and I seem to have done that.**

" **So why spy left his son I wanna hear the reason pls." – Anonymous  
That's what I'm gonna do in this chapter.**

" **Do you know how long you're going to be writing this? I don't want it to end!" – A loyal reader  
I don't know how long I'm gonna keep doing this, but it will end at some point. I gotta be honest, though, I didn't expect it would last this long. But I promise that unlike some other writers on this website, I will finish this fanfic. I will not stop writing it until the status says Complete.**

" **I find HanaxScout to be a cute couple. Somebody did something like this before with a harem, but it wasn't as great as a single pairing. I can imagine the both of them try to outwit each other in video games." – Lord Demolitions**

 **I'm still unsure about doing a true Scout x D. Va pairing, because I don't feel like they have the same chemistry that Scout and Tracer have. I just don't think they have a real ship-worthy bond. I set up an interaction and argument between them in the last chapter, but that was just so that it would be a possibility somewhere down the line. But I just don't think they make that great a couple, so I'm a little unsure how I would pair them.**

 **If you can think of something that they could do or would happen to them that might lead to a romance between them, then go ahead and tell me. Maybe I will incorporate it into my story at some point. And if not this one, then maybe another one. I have some ideas for a sequel to this fanfiction.**

 **I like the video games idea though. I have thought about Scout using Winston's portal machine to travel to the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s to buy new video game consoles on release and then competing with some people (particularly D. Va) in games such as Mario Kart.**

 **I've even thought about him already owning a Magnavox Odyssey and a Pong console, because that's the latest in video game technology in his time (which was the late 1970s).**

 **On with the show!**

 _Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…_

The heart rate monitor in Mercy's sickbay was beeping very slowly. The patient whom it was attached to was in critical condition. He had pipes and tubes running into his face and chest. His arms were covered in blood-stained bandages and his body was covered in burn ointment. He had a stopper plugged up his nose and in his mouth to stop them from bleeding. His breathing was very slow and his heart rate was no better. An X-ray showed dozens of broken bones and torn muscles in his body. This was a man who had just had the beating of his lifetime.

This man was the Spy.

He was in a coma now, and he was lying on the bed in the sickbay for a few hours now. His body was so damaged after having gotten the crap beaten out of him by Tracer, over his parental devotion to Scout, or lack thereof. Medic and Mercy's healing beams had been directed at him this entire time. They were the only things keeping him alive now.

"How long vill it take, doktor?" The Swiss angel asked.

"For most men, full physical recovery could take up to six months, and that's if they even have a chance. And if they were lucky enough to pull zhat off, full psychological recovery would take even longer. He's lucky to have us as his healers. He vould have probably died if ve veren't here to save him."

"How bad is it?"

The German doctor without his license continued, "Cracked skull, possibly even some brain damage, broken nose, missing teeth, shattered humerus, ankles, and knees, nine ribs cracked, four broken, fractured colarbone, twisted nerves all over, burst capillaries, vhich means internal bleeding, inflamed diaphragm and testicles, and broken bronchioles.

I vill say zhis, his heart is extremely powerful. It seems helping him survive zhis harsh beating, but I don't zhink he vould survive vithout us," he said, holding up his smashed Dead Ringer. "Vith our beams, he should be fully recovered vithin a veek, though he might still feel some trauma after zhat. Of course, now ve have to go back to 1978 and get him a new one of these." He threw the (actually) dead ringer in the trash can.

Mercy shook her head. "I can't believe Tracy vas capable of doing zhis."

"What I can't believe," Medic said, "Is vhy Spy – Ja, he is so mysterious, I don't even know his name – Didn't even try to stop Lena from doing zhis. He is very strong and sneaky, and can easily defeat heavily armed enemies, much less unarmed ones, but vhen Lena put him in zhis coma, he didn't even try to stop her."

"Vhat do you mean, doktor?"

"Vhen Lena went ballistic on him, he never pulled out his revolver or knife – vhich he alvays keeps in his pockets – on her, and vhen she vas beating him, he actually begged her for mercy." The Swiss doctor giggled. "Ha-ha," Medic sarcastically laughed, then continued. "Anyvay, he begged her to stop. He _never_ does zhat. Even in ze face of certain danger, he eggs on his foes to kill him. He has never begged zhem to stop. I vonder vhy he did earlier."

"Vell, I don't know – Remember, I still don't know mental health very vell – But maybe he does feel guilty over everything Lena accused him of. Maybe he does feel bad over leaving his son vhen he was a young boy, and didn't even try to defend himself because he felt zhat guilty over it."

Medic looked a little surprised. "Huh. I never zhought of zhat before. But now zhat you say it, it does make sense. Spy has never been the most loving fazher figure to ze boy, but he never showed any hostility towards him, even if Scout did intentionally try to get on his nerves. Come to zhink of it, I now vonder vhy Spy didn't tell him about it at all before. He did have many chances to."

"Maybe he vas afraid of ze young Jeremy doing ze same zhing to him," Mercy suggested.

"Nein," Medic denied. "He has never been afraid of Scout doing anything to him. He is much smaller and weaker than his _vater_. He was most likely more afraid of hurting his son and making him feel betrayed and lied to."

It was at that moment when Spy started to stir in his bed. He was coming out of his coma, but he was still badly hurt from his scuffle with Tracer. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up. He noticed that stoppers plugged up in his mouth and nose and tried to pull them out.

"Nein," Medic said. "Let me do it. It could be very painful and damaging otherwise." Medic gently pulled the stoppers out. Despite his warnings, it still felt a little painful to Spy. "I'm sorry, Herr Spy, but it would be much vorse if you did it yourself." He pulled the stoppers out with a groan in agony from Spy. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but a little bit of blood was still trickling out.

Spy smiled weakly. "I've had worse," he said. "Remember Gray Mann's robots? Thank God you had that reviver in time for our war against them."

Mercy gasped in shock. "You could revive people back zhen?! Mein Gott, is zhere anyzhing ve on Overvatch are doing zhat hasn't already been done?!"

Medic tried to defend himself. "It required a special machine attached to zhem. And even zhen, I had to revive zhem in a certain amount of time or I vould lose zhem." Mercy glared at him. Eager to change the subject, Medic turned to Spy and said, " _Anyvay_ …Spy…How are you feeling?"

Spy shot him a dirty look. "I'm riverdancing on the stairway to heaven right now. _How does it look like I'm feeling?_ "

Medic backed off, clearly not amused by the sarcasm. "All right, all right! _Es tut mir leid_! I vas only trying to show some care tovards _dich_!"

Spy huffed. Caring was one thing. Asking stupid questions was another. "Aaarrgghhhhhhh," he groaned. "That was the worst beating I've ever taken in my entire life! This makes all those mob bosses seem like first-year boxers competing for the lightweight title. I had no idea that little girl could pack such a powerful punch."

"None of us did," Mercy said. "Even Winston and Pharah, and zhey're ze strongest ones on our team, vere too scared to go up against her. She really caught us by surprise vith zhat blow."

"I zhink ve're both learning zhings about our young blood zhat ve've never known before," Medic said. "Our poor Scout is suffering from depression and has suicidal zhoughts, and your young British punk can go absolutely ballistic on people vhenever she's angry enough to do so."

"I guess you're right," the Swiss angel said. "It seems as though the most unlikely of people vould be ze ones to carry such heavy burdens. I vish ve could do more to get zhrough to and help zhem."

"But zhat's not ze biggest zhing that perplexes me," the German doctor said. "Vhat I vant to know from you, Spy, is vhy didn't you stop her? You were more than a match for her. I know. I've seen you take down stronger attackers zhan her, but you didn't even try. It looked like you just let her do it. Vhy?"

Spy looked like he didn't want to answer that question, but felt like an explanation was owed, not just to them, but to Scout and Tracer as well.

He cleared his throat and said, "All right. Let me start from the beginning. I have to do that, so that my answer to your question will make sense later." Medic nodded.

"I first got involved in espionage when I was a young boy. My parents were murdered in cold blood by an assassin that I had never seen in my life. Well, you can imagine what that did to me as a little boy. I was not only sad. I was angry. I wanted to get revenge. I wanted to see the man who killed my loving mother and father and give him a taste of his own medicine. And I wanted to see him suffer as I was doing it.

Well, in my quest to find this unknown man, I got involved in all sorts of gangs and crime circles. One thing led to another, I made lots of money, and just as many, if not more, enemies. Rival gangs, drugs lords, cops, government officials, you name it. They were all after my head, but through my various modes of cunning, I always got the best of them.

One day, I found my parents' killer, and I got my long-awaited revenge on him. But by that time, I was already wanted throughout all of France. I had to flee as quickly as I could. That's how I came to America. And it was there when I met Jeremy's mother. I was in my 20s at the time. I hoped that with her, I could start my life over and become a good man doing good to the world. Maybe I could even be a father, and a very good one at that.

Sadly, after we had about three kids, I discovered that some of my old enemies had also came overseas and we out looking for me. I knew that if they knew that I was loving somebody and even had kids with them, then they would become targets of their schemes. So I left them. I regretted my actions, but I wanted to keep them safe from harm. Sometimes, when I felt I was safe for some time, I would return home to my lover and her kids. We even had a few more together. Jeremy is, what, our sixth child?"

"Eighth," Medic said.

"Eighth child," Spy corrected himself. "He was the only one that never saw his daddy. I left before he was born and I have never returned there since. It was around that time when Redmond Mann had summoned me to fight in his gravel war.

But despite all that, I felt very guilty over the lack of attention I was spending with my children. I wanted to keep them safe, but I knew that someday they would grow old and strong enough to look after themselves and wouldn't need me to keep them safe anymore."

"Can I ask you a quick question, Spy?" Medic said.

Spy sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Have any of your boys ever found out about what you've been doing?"

"No," Spy said firmly. "I told their mother about why I was leaving her, but I also told her not to tell any of our children this. I didn't want them to follow in their daddy's footsteps and become killers like him. This wasn't a life I choice. This was one that was chosen for me. I hoped that by distancing myself from them, I might be able to make that a choice for them. And I hoped that if they could choose not to live a life of running and hiding and killing, they would."

He paused for a moment and sighed. "But it appears as though my youngest son has become involved in this great conflict, so it may have all just been a pipe dream."

"But you still haven't answered _mein_ question," Medic said. "Why didn't you stop Lena from beating you up?"

"Because I needed to be beat up," Spy said after a moment of silence. "Even if I left him because I didn't want him to become involved in my cold, murderous life, I had plenty of chances to reach out to him. I could have been back there for birthdays, for Christmases, for his high school graduation, I could have even sent him letters under a fake name to let him know that his father is alive and thinking of him.

I could have even told him _at any time_ when we were fighting together under Redmond Mann, any time after that conflicted ending, any time during the Robot Wars, _and_ any time during our time here at the Overwatch! But I never did. I was too scared to. I was afraid of what he would think of me and of himself. I didn't want to cause either him or me any more unnecessary stress.

But I know realize that being a good parent means being openly honest and truthful to your children. I never told him anything. I never comforted him. I never showed the slightest bit of fatherly love towards him." And with that, his eyes began to water. "And because of this, I hear and see that he's locked himself in his room, about to shoot a pistol bullet in his mouth. And it was that British runner who saved his life, and not me. I hardly did anything.

So, doctor, to answer your question, I took that beating because she was right. I let her beat me up into a bloody mess because I deserved it. Because I was a bad parent who did very little to help his son in his time of hurt and need." He was now crying.

Medic was a little surprised to see him cry, but understood why he was. Even Mercy felt sad hearing this.

"Can I ask the two of you for a favor?" Spy suddenly asked.

"Sure."

"Of course."

"Don't let Lena tell him the truth about me." Noticing the doctors confused faces, he continued. "I don't want him hearing the truth from somebody else. He needs to hear the truth, but I must be the one to tell it to him. He would probably not believe it if he heard it from somebody else. Because of that, nobody can tell him the truth except me. And as soon as I get out of here, I will not waste any time getting that done. How much longer will I be forced to stay here?"

Medic and Mercy looked at each other and then Medic said, "I zhink you should stay here for a few more days, Spy. You're very fortunate that you have us as your healers, but even vith us, this will take some time. Ve can probably let you go in about _drei oder vier_ days, but even zhen, you may have to valk vith a cane. A full physical recovery should not last longer than a veek, assuming ze girl von't try to beat you up again, but a full psychological recovery may take longer zhen zhat."

Spy groaned. "Could you at least to the girl and tell her not to tell my son the truth and that she should let me do it?"

"Zhat I zhink I can do," Mercy said.

"Thank you."

"And now," Medic quickly said. "Until zhen, you need to rest. Ve can heal you, but it vill take time and it vill go faster vith you lying still."

Spy lay back down on his bed, trying to go back to sleep.

Medic and Mercy left the sickbay and went back to the Mess Hall to get some food.

"Vow. Zat vas truly a story," Medic said.

" _Ja_ ," Mercy replied. "For mercenaries with 'no morals or standards,' you surely carry a lot of veight and even question your own life and choices."

"Vell, ve try," said Medic. "Sometimes, zhough, ve make some pretty bad choices. But sometimes, they end up creating ze healing formula zhat turns zhem into gods!" He laughed, but quickly noticing Mercy's stern look, he said, "But it usually does more harm zhen _gut_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Emily."

"It…It's OK, Lena."

"No! No, it's not! I scared you! I scared my own girlfriend! I don't know why I just jumped out and beat him up like that! I just wanted to teach that _slimy, gutless coward_ what it feels like to be the victim of unreasonable neglect! But you're right. It got out of control, and I didn't want to scare you!"

Tracer was upstairs in her bedroom, trying her hardest to patch things up between her and her frightened girlfriend. D. Va and Mei were giving her tea and cookies to try to calm her down after her meltdown with Spy. "Thank you loves," she said, sipping on a cup of lemon tea, with just a bit of honey added in. "I'm feeling much better already."

"Lena, I overreacted as well. I should know full well that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I had no reason to be scared of you right then, and now I know that."

Lena took some deep breaths and continued talking. "I know, it's just I feel so guilty doing anything to intimidate the one person whom I love so much."

"'The one'?" Emily asked.

Lena looked up in surprise. "Of course, Emily. Do you think I could possibly love anybody else?"

"Well," Emily said skeptically. "It seems to me like you love Jeremy as well."

"What?!" Lena shouted. "Well, yeah, I mean, I do love him, but not _that_ kind of love. Not the kind of love that I have for you!"

"Really?" Emily asked, a little bit doubtful of what she was hearing. "From what I've been hearing, it seems like you and him are more than just good friends. You two have done a lot of things together here without me. You've apparently been eating together, fighting together, watching TV together, from what Winston tells me, he's even been teaching you music and how to play instruments. You and him appear to have such a strong bond. I sort of feel like he has a special place in your heart that no one, not even I, can fill it with."

Lena couldn't believe that Emily was saying this. She actually detected a hint of… "Emily, are you feeling jealous?"

"Jealous? ME?!" he scoffed. "No, of course not. Why would I? How could I possibly feel jealous knowing that you're always somewhere else, having the time of your life with someone else, much less a man. You've never fallen in love with a man in your life, I know that, but-"

"WHOA! Hold on! Stop right there! Who said that I was in love with Jeremy?"

"Oh come on, I can tell. You always talk so lovingly about him. You're always going on about he is the perfect boyfriend, about how he is so talented and gifted, and about how he is so fragile and weak and needs someone to look after him.

Lena, tell me the truth. Do you love him?"

Lena was beyond shocked. Emily was jealous of Jeremy and the relationship he and her seemed to have. She couldn't have this. She had to clear things up and she had to do it now. "Emily," she said slowly. "I'll tell you the truth, but you must not overreact and you must hear everything that I have to say."

Emily looked scared. She was now fearing the worst was to come from Lena. "OK, I will," she said weakly.

Lena sighed. "Yes, it's true. I love him so much." A shocked Emily was opening her mouth to say something, but Lena stopped her. "Let me finish. Yes, I do have strong feelings towards him, and I won't lie, this is the closest I've ever felt to loving a man. _But_ ," she firmly added, knowing what Emily would say to that, "That doesn't mean I want to commit myself to a serious relationship with him. That doesn't mean I want to be a serious girlfriend of his. I don't love him so much that I want him to move into my house, have him sleep with me, and…" she paused for a minute, knowing that what she would say next would make her feel uncomfortable, "and, I don't want to _shag him_ ", she said with slight irritation. "I don't want to touch his body and suck on his willy and have him stick it in me," she paused again. It was clear to Emily that Lena really didn't like saying this. "The only person I want to sleep with is you, Emily.

What Jer and I have, I like to say is more like a sibling relationship. I really want to be there to look out for him and make sure his life is sailing smoothly. I want him to have a person that he can come to when he needs someone. You know, he's never had that. All his life, he's been told to cover it up, suck it up, move on, forget about it. I…I want to change that. I want to be the first person in his life who has actually cared about him and his feelings. That's what he and I have. I want to watch over him and make sure that he's always doing well.

I also love him for who he is. I love that he's a very talent musician. And he almost never brags about it. He doesn't shove it in my or anyone else's face. And I wanted to learn some of what he knows about it, because lately I've come to respect people who can claim to have that level of talent and artistry. He's also very funny. He cracks a lot of jokes that make me laugh, and he's not afraid to speak his mind, even if he can get a little vulgar at times. But above all else, he is so kind and sincere. He would go to the ends of the earth for the person that he loves. I have seen that he would go to great lengths for me to be safe and happy. And I truly love him for that. And you're right, Emily. He does have a special place in my heart. And it's a place that nobody else can fill.

But now, I guess I can understand why you might be jealous. I have talked so much about him that it makes even me question how much I actually love him. And looking back on that day," she shuddered as she said this, "That day when he tried to kill himself, it hurt me so much to see that. It makes me so sad to know that he could be so lonely that he would even consider suicide to be an acceptable option for him." Her eyes were now watering as she said that. "And hearing Mercy say that she couldn't revive suicide victims made me realize just how precious and valuable his life is. And how someone should do everything they can to keep him from…ending it. And no one before me has. No one before me has even tried. He's always had to do this by himself." She was now crying again from saying that. D. Va, still in Tracer's room, was also crying because, as much as she wanted to hide it, she did have a crush on Scout, and hearing about the time he tried to kill himself made her cry as well.

Emily had now regretted her feelings of jealousy after hearing that. "Lena, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions like that. I really need to stop making so many untrue assumptions about you."

"But you're right to," Lena said. "I have done some things lately that need to be questioned. I would call you stupid if you didn't question my sanity after beating a man within an inch of his life."

"Boy, and beat him within an inch of his life, you did," Mei said. "According to Mercy, he's trapped in her sickbay with more than half of his bones broken and muscles ripped, and not in a sexy way."

" _Serves him right_ ," Lena instantly snarled, her anger rising up again. "That invisible rat deserved what he got." Quickly realizing how angry she was, she immediately turned to Emily and said, "Love, I'm sorry for getting angry again. I want to make it clear that I'm angry at him and not you."

"Yes, I know that now," Emily said. "And don't worry. I feel OK speaking to you again."

"Thank you!" Lena cried, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and giving her a full kiss on the lips. "I love you so much, Emily. I don't want our relationship to end over something like this. Blimey, I don't want it to end at all!"

Emily was happy to hear this. "Neither do I, Lena. I love you so much." They kissed passionately for a long time. Mei eventually got impatient having to wait for them to finish that she got up and left the room. D. Va remained behind. They knew that soon they were going to speak to Jeremy about the future, and she wanted to go with them to apologize to him for her earlier outburst at him and let him know that she was available to be his girlfriend.

Finally the two stopped kissing, but only because Lena had more to say. "You know, I'm glad we have these conversations, Emily. They really assure me, and I hope you as well, that we truly love each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together."

"But you also want to spend the rest of your life with Jeremy as well," Emily added.

"Well…yeah," Lena admitted. "But as a close friend. That's why I'm not inviting him to move in with us, but at an apartment that's close to our house. The truth is, Emily, I want to spend the rest of my life with _both_ of you. With you as my soul mate, and with Jeremy as my little brother."

Emily now felt better, hearing Lena say that. "I understand," she said. "It now makes sense why you want both him and me to be with you forever."

D. Va , having had something on her mind for a long time, now spoke up. "Lena?"

"Yes, love?"

"I just want you to know that…Now that you've expressed how you feel about Jeremy, I want you to know that I've always looked at you as my big sister. Throughout our entire time together, you have been that one person that I felt safe around and could openly talk to. You have been my best friend ever since our first day together. That's why I know that you would be an excellent big sister to Jeremy."

Lena felt happy hearing Hana say that. "Thanks, love!" She happily chirped, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "And I'm glad I've known you as long as I have! You've been such a great person to me as well!"

"And that's why I'm hoping," D. Va continued, "That I can patch things up with Jeremy after what I said to him this morning so that he might want to be my boyfriend. That way, I can live the rest of my life, not just with him, but with you too, since you're going to be living next door to him! I hope he wants to be with me! My life will be so wonderful! All of our lives will be!"

"Well, I'm not sure that we've _quite_ convinced him yet," Emily said. "I think we need to do some last bits of reassurance to him so that we can convince him that moving next to us to start his life over will be the wise thing to do."

"I agree," said Lena. "We need to go talk to him after this so that we can truly sell him on the idea, because as much as he may not want to admit it, he needs me."

"Why wouldn't he want to admit it?" D. Va asked.

"Well, since he can't have me, he does tend to get jealous real easily, and he doesn't want to try to ruin my and Emily's relationship so that he can get a shot with me. That's another thing I really respect about him. He's choosing my happiness and well-being over his own. That's how I know he truly loves me and doesn't just want me for sex. He listens to me and wants me to do what I want to do. And even if it's not what he wants, he won't object. He'll just let me do it. And that's why," she said, turning back to Emily, "I said that he is the best boyfriend ever. Because whoever ends up getting him will be the luckiest girl alive." Hearing this, D. Va desperately hoped that she had a chance with him.

"Well then," she said, jumping around excitedly. "Let's go! Let's go to his room and speak with him! We're wasting time just sitting around here!"

"Hold on," Emily said. "He probably doesn't want to speak to you right now because of what you did to him earlier, remember?"

D. Va's happy mood immediately went flat. Like helium draining out of a balloon, her face immediately went from happy to sad. "Oh. Right," she said sadly. "Well then, could you at least tell him that I'm sorry and that I love him? Could you at least try to convince him to speak to me, possibly even ask me out?"

"We can try," Lena said. "We'll do the best we can, but we don't know if it will convince him to change his mind. We can't force him to do anything. We can only do so much."

Despite this response, D. Va tried to remain hopeful. "Thank you. At least try to talk him into it."

"We will," Emily said. "But we can't make any promises."

"You know," Lena immediately said. "Why do we have to go to his room? It's always _me_ who goes to _him_. For once, I want it to be the other way around. I want _him_ to come see _me_ and try to strike up a conversation with me. I'm getting a little tired of always being the ice breaker."

"You really want to stand around and wait for your prince charming to come to you?" Emily asked skeptically.

Lena's face fell. Emily was right. She was never one to sit around and wait for things to happen to her. If she wanted something done, she would always get up and do it herself. She would rarely, if ever, wait for someone else to do it for her. Besides, if they did just stand around and wait for him, it might take forever. So she changed her mind.

"You're right," she sighed. "Let's go to his room."

"Great!" Emily shouted enthusiastically.

"What's gotten you so hyper?" Lena asked.

"Well, you said that he played music, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I kinda wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to see the collection of instruments that he has and I also want to see him play for us. I want to see if he really is as good as you say he is. Maybe I can even convince him to teach me a little bit. I'm sure playing music really is as sexy as it looks!"

Lena laughed. Unlike herself until recently, Emily had always been into music. She never had much of interest in _playing_ it, but maybe that would change soon enough.

"OK, Love. I've learned a little bit about this from Jer as well. Maybe I can surprise you with my musical skills." She said, grinning.

"Oh please. There's no way you're good enough to wow me," Emily retorted.

"Yeah, you're right. I was just hoping that I could make a dramatic introduction," she sighed.

The two of them then got up and walked out of the room. After they left, D. Va decided to follow them. She wouldn't go in with them, but maybe she could listen in to the conversation so that if Jeremy confessed any love he had for her, she would hear it from him before anyone else would.

As the girls left, she stayed behind for a few minutes, and then followed. _I hope he says yes_ , she thought. _It will be embarrassing to confess it in front of everyone, but at least I would have him, and he would have me._ D. Va had learned long ago to take a relationship slowly at first. _Don't ask him the big questions at first, like sex. A good relationship starts with some trust and builds up after that. It shouldn't be any more than hugging and kissing at first. Then come the dates, then the cuddling, and_ then _the fucking_. But she had to slow down in her thoughts. She wasn't there yet. She had to hear him say "I love you" to her before she could continue doing anything else. But after that blowup at breakfast, it seemed like she would never reach that stage. It seemed a bit like a pipe dream now, now that reality was beginning to kick in to her, but she decided it was better for her to remain hopeful than depressed.

However, unknown to any of them, another woman was listening in to their conversation and was interested about where it was going. And it was none other than the French Talon-turned-Overwatch sniper known as Amélie Lacroix, better known as Widowmaker, also known as the Spider. She had switched sides, yes, but not out of a change of heart. Rather, she was bribed by Winston. But after hearing Scout's story, she noticed how similar it was to hers, and for the first time in her life, she began to question her logic and decisions. She began to wonder if she was right to even join Talon in the first place. Very much like Scout, she had a tragic event in her life, and this is what started her down the dark path to become the cold and ruthless killer that she had become. Now that she heard that Scout was in a similar spot to what she was in, she wondered if it could have been possible for her to avoid going down that said dark path. She needed to hear more about this, she decided, and so, she followed the ladies down the hall to Scout's room, though, like D. Va, she would remain outside the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was now a few hours since breakfast. After he had eaten, Scout took a short nap. After waking up from that, he decided to practice music a little bit more. He didn't dwell too much on D. Va snapping at him that morning, but he did wonder what he could have done that would warrant it. Come to think of it, what did he ever do to make her hate him so much? Ever since he first joined the Overwatch, she had done nothing but yell at him, throw insults at him, say that his taste in rock and roll music sucks, and a bunch of other things.

Scout scoffed. Why did he care so much about what she thought? She probably doesn't have anything against him in particular, he thought. She was just a bitch. She probably acts this way towards everybody she meets. It's a wonder how the others here at Overwatch are able to put up with her. _I'm surprised that gorilla hasn't already kicked her out_ , he thought.

He resumed playing his guitar, thinking that nobody was hearing it. He decided he was in a Beatles mood today. His number one favorite artist was Tom Jones. He was a huge fan of Tom Jones, so much so that before coming to Overwatch, he invested in a large amount of Tom Jones memorabilia, which made him ridiculously rich after Jones' death (at the hands of his own teammate, nonetheless). He liked Jones, but the Beatles were a close second.

He admired the cool vocal harmonies that they put on their records, and he especially liked how each of the four Beatles had their own singing style, easily distinguishing them from each other. He also liked how the Beatles had such tricky chords and playing styles in their music. Ever since he was a kid in 1964, Jeremy tried his hardest to discover the opening chord to their song "A Hard Day's Night." But he just could never figure it out. Apparently, no one could. Nobody in his lifetime could tell what that damn chord was.

"Wait a minute," he said. "I'm living in 2077 now. It's been more than a hundred years since that chord was first heard. Surely somebody has figured it out by now." He quickly ran to his computer, which he was still learning how to use, and then used it to call up Google, still the popular search engine at that time.

Typing on the computer was a real challenge for Scout, since all the letter keys were arranged in a very unusual way. He expected them to be layered as A, B, C, D, E, and so on in alphabetical order across and down the keyboard. Instead, they were arranged as Q, W, E, R, T, Y, and all the others in the strangest order ever. "How are these keys arranged? What was the thought process behind this?" he groaned.

After some struggling, he finally typed "A Hard Day's Night opening chord" in Google, but to his surprise, the search results didn't yield an answer. He saw an article which read, "A Hard Day's Night, 100 Years Later, and a Mystery Still Unsolved." He clicked on the link, and it led him to a website which had an article that said,

 _It has been over one hundred years since John, Paul, George, and Ringo hit the music scene with their landmark feature film_ A Hard Day's Night _, and its' associated title song._

 _And yet, all these years later, one puzzle still confuses people all over the world: The song's opening chord._

 _The chord, played by George Harrison on a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, was unlike anything that the world has ever heard before, quite literally in fact. No one in 1964 could tell what chord that was. And nobody ever has since._

 _As of 2077, the opening chord remains unknown. It is known to some Beatles fans as the "Magical Mystery Chord."_

Jeremy was absolutely stunned. He has travelled in time over one hundred years into the future, and _still_ nobody knows that damned chord? And by now, all of the Beatles and anyone else in the studio at the time had died, so they can't say for themselves what it is. The Beatles must have truly been musical gods, playing a chord that nobody else can play. It must have been the "lost chord" that Keith Richards had been searching for his whole life.

He gave up trying a long time ago, but mostly because he lacked a 12-string guitar. Maybe now he should use some of his not-so-hard-earned money to buy one. He then went back to Google and typed in "Guitar Center Gibraltar" into the search bar, and showed that there was a Guitar Center not too far from Watchpoint. It was time for him to head over. Especially after an announcement on the PA system came on. It was Genji saying,

" _Attention! All Overwatch personnel! Due to circumstances beyond our control, lunch will now be served."_

Ugh. As good as Torbjörn was at making chocolate pancakes, he could not fix anything else if his life depended on it. Jeremy picked up his wallet and ran out the door, which now had a sign on it that read "The Swamp." That was the name of his room now. He was tired calling it a number like 7G. But as he ran out his door, he ran into a familiar face and an unfamiliar one, with red hair and freckles, and a red-and-white-polka-dot shirt and skirt.

"Hey, love!" Lena said.

"Can't stop, Lena," he said, panting. "I don't wanna be near-"

"We know, love. We're getting out of here, too."

Without asking any further, Jeremy said, "My car's in Symmetra's workshop. We'll hop in it and get outta here."

As they ran towards the workshop, they heard another voice, "HEY! Wait for me! I don't wanna eat Torbby's disgusting slop!" D. Va shouted.

They broke into the workshop, and found the car still sitting there, with a bunch of supplies lying around. Symmetra was obviously working on converting it into an electric. "Shotgun!" D. Va shouted, with a grin on her face. She hopped in the car on that side before Jeremy could stop her. Deciding that he didn't have time to kick her out, Jeremy got in the driver's seat, while Tracer and Emily hopped in the back. Jeremy slammed on the gas and he and the girls sped off.

It was much easier for him to get around on the road now. He still had the GPS installed on his dashboard, and it was broad daylight outside. It was a very nice day outside. The sun was shining, and there was a light breeze blowing.

After a moment of silence, Lena spoke up. "Love, thanks for getting us out of there. Last time I had lunch from Torbby, I got food poisoning. It got so bad Mercy had to take X-rays of my chest."

"I'm sure those came out _really_ beautiful," Jeremy said, smirking.

Emily giggled at hearing that while Lena blushed. Jeremy just could never kick his wisecracking side if he wanted to. She punched him in the shoulder and said, "My chest is none of your business!" He just laughed at that.

Emily then spoke up. "You're Jeremy, right?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you," he said, shaking her hand. "And you must be Emily, Lena's girlfriend?"

"Indeed I am. I've heard a lot about you. I hear that you run, play music, tell lots of jokes and are a very nice person."

Jeremy blushed a little bit himself and said, "Oh, pish-posh. She exaggerates all the time. I take it that you're a really nice person? I know Lena well enough that she'll never have a relationship with anything less than that."

"She is, and I love her for that," Lena said, giving Emily a kiss.

"So, now that we're away," he said, trying to change the subject to hide the jealousy he was feeling, "What are we gonna do for lunch?"

"Have you ever been to Five Guys?" Lena asked him.

"Five Guys? I've seen a restaurant like that in town last night, but I didn't go in it."

"I heard from some of your RED Teammates that you might like that place. It's a burger restaurant, but it had a lot of variety to offer. We think that you might really like it."

Jeremy was intrigued. "Well, I've never eaten there, but I'm willing to give it a shot. That does sound like something up my alley. Let's go." He typed in Five Guys on his GPS and began to follow the route to that place.

D. Va was doing her hardest to try to catch a glimpse from him, but he seemed to be doing his hardest to not look at her. She got the feeling that she was only with him because he didn't have time to kick her out before Torbjörn or anyone else caught them. If he could have fled before she had caught up with them, he would have. But not only did she catch up, but she hopped in the passenger seat so that she could be sitting right next to him. Realizing that he would try to speak to her himself, D. Va decided to strike up the conversation on her own.

"Jeremy?" she said. "I…I'm sorry for what I said to you in the mess hall this morning. I was just feeling upset…and…I wasn't thinking clearly."

Jeremy finally looked her way, with a look of surprise on his face. He wasn't expecting Hana Song to apologize to him for anything. "Well, thanks for that," he said. He didn't sound very convinced, though.

"I…I…I didn't want you to know, but I…have a crush on you. I love how funny and kind and even strong you are. Any girl would be lucky to have you, and I want to be that lucky girl. I want you to give me a chance with you."

Now Jeremy didn't expect _this_. A girl actually saying to him that he is kind, strong, and funny. And not even pointing out his flaws or insulting him. He actually looked touched to hear this. And for the first time in his life, a girl had come to him and asked to be his girlfriend. It had always been the other way around for him.

"Well…" he said. "I don't know…I mean, I always thought that you were just bitchy and mean and didn't care much about other people's feelings, but now, maybe I was wrong. I always thought there was more to me than people can see. Maybe that's true for you, too."

D. Va looked hopeful after hearing this. She did feel sad to think that Scout thought she was bitchy, but it looked like he was having second thoughts about making that statement. Maybe she did have a chance with him after all. And now, she was going out to lunch with him. Along with Tracer and Emily, maybe she could look at this as sort of a double date.

They arrived at Five Guys. D. Va surprised Scout by saying that she would pay for his food. Scout couldn't tell if Hana was doing this just to bribe him into accepting her relationship offer, or if she was genuinely caring about him, but he went ahead and let her.

The restaurant looked very familiar to Scout. It looked like those diners that he went to and ate at when he was in the '60s and '70s. He noticed the checkerboard floors and red and white paint job on the walls and ceilings, similar to those in the '60s. But it looked much more modern, with fluorescent lights, state-of-the-art grills, fryers, and touch-screen soda machines. Jeremy thought he could get used to this. "This is the best burger restaurant I've ever been to!" And it looked like other reviewers agreed with him. He looked at some reviews on the walls.

 _The Willy Wonka of Burgers_

 _The hand-cut fries alone are not to be missed._

 _This place blows Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr. out of the water._

 _The best burger restaurant in this or any other dimension._

When they placed their orders, he found out that he and D. Va had similar tastes. They both ordered bacon cheeseburgers loaded with onions and jalapeno peppers. This made her blush a little bit. Tracer seemed to like a lot of organic food on her burger. She ordered it with lettuce, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, pickles, and avocado. Emily, however, preferred a southern barbecue style. She ordered her burger with bacon, grilled onions, and barbecue sauce, with some A1 Steak Sauce on the side. They ordered a large plate of fries to share, and just about every sauce that the place had.

Jeremy was fascinated by the touch-screen soda machines. They seemed to have every kind of soda imaginable. They had the basics, like Coca-Cola, Sprite, Barq's Root Beer, but they came in all sorts of flavors, like Orange Coke, Raspberry Sprite, Mango-flavored lemonade, strawberry-watermelon Powerade, Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, you name it. Jeremy picked the Orange Coke. That just had to have tasted great.

What really stood out to Jeremy was all the free peanuts that the restaurant offered. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't even eaten yet, and he could already tell this was better than McDonald's. This was the biggest burger joint he ever visited. Nothing could ever top this. D. Va brought back a large tub of peanuts for him and the girls to share. Tracer said, "It's a good thing Winston's not here with us, or we would get kicked outta here." As they were waiting for their food, they snacked on the peanuts.

After a while, they started playing a game with them. D. Va said, "Hey, Jeremy! Catch!" She threw a peanut his way, and he caught it with his mouth. That gave him an idea. He cracked open a shell and threw one back at her. She too caught it with her mouth. Tracer and Emily now got involved as well. "Down the hatch, Lena!" Emily said. At first, it was only Jeremy throwing peanuts at Hana and Emily throwing peanuts at Lena, but soon they were throwing them all around. Some of the other customers were getting disgusted by their little game, but they didn't care. It was too much fun to stop.

Finally, their order came up. Tracer went to get it. She brought it back to the table saying, "Cheers, loves! The calories are here!" She handed each of the burgers out to their owners, and they began eating.

Jeremy was now feeling so much better about himself and Tracer. He may not be able to be her boyfriend, but if she and her could still go out on dates like this, he could probably get used to it. He still felt jealous that she had given her love to somebody else, but now that he met her girlfriend, he found that she and him could be friends. Maybe he and Hana could be good friends as well. He could get used to being around her, and she especially liked it when she shared her fries with him, like she was doing right now.

D. Va was enjoying herself. Maybe she did have a chance with Scout after all. He seemed to forgive her for her outburst at him that morning, and it looked like he liked being around her. He appeared to enjoy eating lunch with her. Life would be perfect if only she could get him to say yes to her relationship proposal. Then, she would move in with him AND be living close to Tracer as well. Still, she had doubts about him having the same loving feelings that she had for him. But she knew that she couldn't try to speed things along herself. She had to wait for him to make his decision. But it was hard. At one point, she grabbed a long fry, but didn't know that Scout had grabbed the other end until it was in their mouths, and as they were eating it, they noticed who was at the other end, and their lips stopped just inches from each other. Emily and Lena were both saying, " _Oooooooooooh_ ," at them. Nervous, D. Va tugged, and the fry broke off. Jeremy looked like he was blushing at that gesture.

She felt a little more confident after one incident that Jeremy just had. He ate one jalapeno pepper that was particularly hot and spicy. It was making his throat burn and snot run down his nose. He could barely speak, and he couldn't eat while this was going on. Thinking fast, D. Va rushed to the soda machine and filled her cup up with Sprite. Citric acid, more so than any cold drink, is good for quelling those burning feelings that spicy peppers can give off. She forced it down his throat, and that made him feel so much better. "Thanks for that," he told her. "You are a very lovely person, Hana." D. Va blushed, out of happiness. She tried her best to hold back the giddiness that she felt from hearing him compliment her.

After that, Tracer went up to the cashier and ordered a large Oreo milkshake. When she got it, she was surprised by how huge it was. It was big enough for four people. Thankfully, there were three girls and one boy ready to slurp it down. She went to the soda machine, grabbed four straws, and went back to their table.

After they drank it up, ending it with loud slurping that was annoying the other customers, they decided they were so stuffed that they should leave. But it would take some time to get out of the parking lot. A crowd of car enthusiasts at stopped to admire and take pictures of Jeremy's old '67 Chevy Impala. "Hey, that's my car!" Jeremy shouted. "Get your hands off of it! GET OUTTA HERE!" He pulled out his pistol, and everyone, in a panic, fled. "Jeremy," Lena said sternly after that, "You're not supposed to pull out a weapon like that! You could get us into trouble!"

"Yeah, I know. But I had to do something to get them to go away."

They got in the car and sped off before law enforcement showed up.

"So," Emily said once they were away, "Back to Watchpoint? I'm sure the Swedish chef has made everyone puke by now."

"Well, actually," Jeremy said, "I was going to run by Guitar Center to buy some new gear for my musical practice."

D. Va didn't like what she was hearing, as she wasn't interested in guitars or rock music, but she decided not to show it. She wanted to help her chances as much as she could.

"OK," Lena said. "I've always wanted to check out that place anyway."

"Always?" Emily asked. Even Scout was surprised to hear this.

"Yeah! Always since I met Jeremy!"

"OK, that makes sense," Emily said.

"What are you getting, love?"

"I want to get a 12-string guitar. I'm trying to figure out a tricky guitar chord on a song I know."

"Wow. They make 12-string guitars?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. They were very popular back in the '60s. I remember when that sound was _everywhere_. The Beatles, The Byrds, The Who, everyone was using that instrument."

When they got to Guitar Center, each of the four young people fled to a different department. Scout went to the guitars, Emily checked out the bass guitar section, Tracer sped to the drum room, and D. Va unexpectedly found herself in the keyboard section. She heard a tune from a K-Pop song that she liked being played on a synthesizer.

D. Va was amazed. She never thought much about musical skills, but here was a song that she liked being replicated on an electronic keyboard, and it actually required some skill to play. She decided to try playing it, but she could not make it sound good.

"Ugh. This thing just sounds horrible!" And she knew that it wasn't the keyboard itself. It was how she was playing it. For the first time in her life, she now wished that she knew how to play an instrument. But she never had any interest before. She never wanted any lessons. But now those days were gone, and she wasn't so self-assured. Now she found she changed her mind and opened up her mind. _Maybe I can get Jeremy to teach me_ , she thought. _He's taught music to Lena, and plans to teach Emily, surely he'll teach me how to play this keyboard_. She made up her mind. She picked up the synth and took it to the cashier to pay for it.

Meanwhile, Scout was in a practice room, completely soundproof from the outside. He was trying out a Fender 12-string on an amp in there, to see if it was the kind of instrument that he wanted. He liked the sound, but he wasn't sure about its' sustain very much. It just sounded very weak and wimpy. But he had some distortion pedals back in his room at Watchpoint. Surely that would remedy this little shortcoming.

Just then, he heard a knock on the door. It was Emily and Lena. He got up and opened the door to let them in.

"Hi, love! Trying out an instrument?"

"Yep. I think I might go ahead and get it."

"Can we listen to you play it?"

Jeremy looked confused, and then skeptical. "That's not what you came in here to ask me."

Lena sighed. "You're right, it's not."

"Cut the crap. What do you want to ask me?"

"Emily, you want to tell him?"

"Why should I tell him? This whole thing was your idea! You even came up with the idea of catching him in this room so that all of our speech would be muffled to everyone outside!"

Lena sighed again. "OK. There's something that she and I want to talk to you about, Jer."

Jeremy sat down. He could tell that this was serious.

"Jeremy, even though I love Emily so much and want to be committed to her and not you, I want you to know that I still love you very much. I don't want to have to choose between one of you. I want to spend the rest of my life with both you and her.

I know how strange that sounds, but hear me out. There's an apartment building just across the street from the house that Emily and I have in London. A space just opened up, and we want you to move into it."

Jeremy pretended to act like this was the first time he had ever heard of this. Winston told him about it in the car last night, but he told him that the girls didn't want him to say this to Jeremy. They wanted to do it themselves.

"We hope that you will take this apartment, so that we can still see you every day and do fun things with you like what we just did at Five Guys and what we're doing here."

"We know that life's been tough on you," Emily said. "And as much as you probably would like to try, you can't go through life by yourself. You need help. You need someone to love you and provide caring and support when you need it. You've never had that before in your life, and Lena and I want to change that."

Scout looked unsure about this again. He was so sure about it earlier, but now he was reminded of the jealousy he would feel, knowing that the girl he loved lived just across the street from him, and that he would never be able to call her his girlfriend.

"I…I don't know…" he said. "Maybe it's…best that I just…never get a girlfriend if-"

"Why?" Tracer asked. "What about Hana? Why don't you try to hook up with her?"

"Yeah," Emily added. "It's very obvious that she loves you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can tell. And I admit, she wasn't as bitchy as I once thought she was."

As they were speaking, Hana stood outside the practice room. She couldn't tell what they were saying, because the walls were soundproofed, but she had a feeling that they were talking about her. She just hoped that she hadn't blown her only shot with him at breakfast.

"It's just…I don't feel the same connection with her that I feel with you, Lena. I don't want to be in an unhappy relationship. I want to be with someone I know that I love. I want to be with someone that I know will lead to a long and happy life."

"What makes you think you won't get it with her?" Lena asked. "Better yet, what makes you think you would have gotten it with me?"

"I'm not sure, I've just always felt like you and I had a special connection. I loved how you and I are very similar. We're both 'young and spunky punks,' as your friend Jamie likes to say."

Tracer laughed. "Love, don't call Junkrat Jamie. He hates being called that."

Scout didn't share her laughter, though. In fact, he looked very sad. "I'm sorry. It's just…You and I have so much in common. We both seem to understand each other. We both seem to be destined to be soul mates. And yet, standing here right now…knowing that I can never love you…knowing that we can never be soul mates…knowing that the girl I love…has given…her love…to someone else…" he was tearing up now. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He let out a long cry and covered his eyes with his hands.

Tracer felt she was about to cry from seeing him do so. "Oh, love, come here," she said softly. "It's OK." She gave him a hug and Scout put his face on her shoulder and cried into it.

"It hurts…" He sobbed. He didn't even try to stop now. "It hurts so much…"

"I know, love. I know."

Emily put her hand on his back and said, "It's alright, love. I know it's hard for you, but everything will be alright. I know it will be hard for you to live next to us and being jealous because you can't be Lena's boyfriend, but trust us, it's your best choice."

"All we want to do is make things right for you. We want to keep you from trying to kill yourself again. And we love you, Jer. We still want to be with you. You don't have to go through this alone. So, please," Tracer begged him. "Don't push me away."

"Don't push _us_ away," Emily added.

Jeremy now felt conflicted. On one side, he wanted to live his life without being jealous, which he knew he would be living close to the two girls. But on the other hand, he knew they were right. He needed some help. He needed a therapist to help him overcome his struggles. And besides, it seems like Tracer really wants him to live close to her. _If I say no, I have a feeling she won't take it well_ , he thought. _And if I really love her, wouldn't I do what she wanted?_

Now with that in perspective, it was obvious that refusing their offer would be rather an anticlimax after what they've just been through with him. After all the good times they had fighting Talon, telling jokes, playing music, eating lunch at Five Guys, and now taking the time to speak to him about this apartment right here, right now.

For the first time in a long time, Jeremy heard a voice in his head, and it was telling him,

 _Time to choose_.

 **And…another cliffhanger. Yep. I wanted to end it right here just to keep my readers invested in the next chapter.**

 **Which, while I'm talking about it right here, let me ask. What would you like Scout to say to the girls in the next chapter? Should he take their offer for housing close to them or refuse it? You let me know through the review section.**

 **I also want to say a few more things right here. First off, someone once asked me if this fanfiction turned out as how I originally envisioned it. For this chapter, it did and it didn't.**

 **Going in, I always knew this would be a three-part chapter. First part being Spy's confession to Medic and Mercy, second part being just Tracer and Emily talking, and the third part being them speaking with Jeremy about the apartment. However, a few things to come in right as I was writing this.**

 **Since I had Tracer talk so much about Scout during the preceding chapters, it got me thinking that Emily would probably start feeling jealous from all the attention that her girlfriend is giving him. So I wanted an interaction between them in which Tracer confesses that while she loves him, she doesn't love him like she loves her, and that she wants both to always be by her side, with Emily as her lover and Scout as a surrogate brother that she loves so much.**

 **Also, the double date at Five Guys and Guitar Center was unplanned. At first, this whole conversation was just going to happen in Scout's quarters at Watchpoint. But I realized that they never really gave him any reason why he should stay. All I've ever written is why he should leave. So I added in them going to Five Guys (which I put in instead of some fictional restaurant in order to create a sense of realism) to make Scout think that living close to them might not be so bad after all.**

 **I also had D. Va tag along simply for the possibility of a Scout x D. Va ship in the future. I honestly don't know if I want to do it, and I'm not even sure how to, but I set it up just so that it's possible for a ship between them to happen, especially by having D. Va change her attitude about music after hearing a favorite song of hers being played on a keyboard synthesizer.**

 **As with all my chapters, I've dropped some Easter eggs and references in this chapter. See how many you can find.**

 **I apologize if I've kept you waiting on this chapter. This is a very long one. My first one to go over 10,000 words, in fact. Also college and work have been preventing me from finishing this sooner. With that said, thanks for reader and I hope to post the next chapter soon!**


	13. Chapter 13: Scout, I am Your Father

**'I wonder if there's actually anything good in the TF2 crossovers section?' *Checks and sees this* *sighs* 'Maybe tomorrow.' –Your Eggs are Reasonably Firm**

 **Well, I guess you can't please everyone. I expected this when I started writing this. I'm actually surprised that my first critical review came after 12 chapters. But, as I said before, I will never censor criticism on my stories.**

" **I've gotta say, I'm really glad you're sticking with this. Please note that I check for a new chapter of this every single day because, well, I just absolutely love this story! I'm not much of a reader myself, but this fanfic really inspired me to start reading more books so there's that. Thanks again and keep up the great work!" –A Loyal Reader**

 **It's actually quite great to see that I'm inspiring people to read books. I also want to inspire people to write more fanfictions like this. Ones that stand out from all the others, which it seems this one is doing. Of course, as I've said, I want to see more Scout/Tracer hurt stories, but I guess that will come in due time.**

" **The other characters aren't getting enough attention. There should be more Soldier and Demoman shenanigans like the 2 of them ended up drunk in the city." –Lord Demolitions**

 **I've started another fanfic that's of one-shots taking place in the same time as this. Check that out.**

" **He should refuse their offer and dvas feelings too." –Anonymous**

 **Umm…why? Could you elaborate? I actually prefer it when people provide explanations. I know one person gave me a pretty long one, but I actually want people to do that.**

 **And now, our feature presentation.**

Scout was crying on Tracer's shoulder. He was torn by the decision that he had to make here. He knew he couldn't have Tracer, so he would be jealous if he had to see her with someone else every day. But if he refused the girls' offer, he knew how much that would hurt _them_ , particularly Tracer. This really made his head hurt. He was always so sure of himself, he always thought he made the right decisions, but now he just couldn't tell. He didn't know which was the selfish option and which was the unselfish option.

Meanwhile, Tracer was doing her best to comfort him. She hated seeing him cry. Seeing him cry, or Emily for that matter, was torture to her. "Everything's OK, love. Don't cry," she said sweetly. She wiped his tears away from his eyes. She was grateful that no one could hear them in the practice room that they were in. But then again, it did have a glass door, so people could still see them. See knew that D. Va was looking in on them right now.

"Look, sweetie," Emily said. "Why don't you go to London with us and spend a few days in that apartment, just to see if that will work for you? I heard you guys will be going to London anyway, so you might as well try it out."

Jeremy looked up. "We're going to London?"

"Yep," Lena said. "Just got a message from Winston." She held up her cell phone, which had a text that read, _Where are you three? We're calling an important emergency meeting and we need you there immediately. We have heard a report that Blackwatch is plotting an attack in London, and we need to make plans to beat them to it. Get back to Watchpoint_ now _._

I think it's time for us to go. What do you loves think?"

Still sniffling, Jeremy said, "All right. L-Let's go."

"You gonna buy that guitar first?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. And this pedal," Scout said, holding up a small box with what he said was an effects pedal inside of it.

"Don't you already have enough of those?" Tracer asked him.

"You kiddin'? Ya can never have too many pedals! That's like saying you can have too much love for somebody!"

Tracer chuckled, and then sighed. "Yes, that is ridiculous, isn't it?"

"What kind of pedal is it?" Emily asked him.

"It's called a Flanger. It can make these very strange _whooshing_ sounds. Playing it is kinda like hearing a plane fly by."

"Wow. I didn't know stuff like that was possible."

"I see you've got something as well," Jeremy said, noticing the Fender Precision bass that Emily was carrying with her.

"Yeah…I'm gonna buy that. You think you can teach me a little about playing it?"

"Yeah, sure! Of course, you'll never be as good as me! I am _the_ expert on slap bass, now that Larry Graham is probably dead."

They walked to the cashier to pay for their items. Tracer decided to buy a pair of drum sticks for herself. Once they got to the cashier, D. Va followed behind them, carrying the synthesizer that she was going to buy.

"Hana, I didn't know you wanted to play any real music," Lena said. She clearly did not expect to see her doing this.

"Well, I've thought about it, and maybe it has more merit than I used to say it did. I was hoping that Jeremy…" she blushed from saying his name, "…could teach me a few things about this."

"Hear that, Jeremy?" Emily asked him. "Looks like you are going to become a full-time music teacher!"

Jeremy felt better now. It comforted him to know that he was needed. And by girls, nonetheless. These three girls were the first ones that came up to him and said that they needed him to help them. "Wow, I can't wait! Because let me tell you, playing an instrument is freakin' fantastic! It feels like nothing you've ever done before!"

They paid for their things, and when they got back to the car, Emily said to him after they put their things in the trunk, "Hey sweetie, listen. Give this a chance, all right? You are not alone. You have friends to help you."

"Friends who really love you," Tracer said. "And we really want to help you."

"Yeah, I know that," Jeremy said. "But I'm still not sure. I'll give it a try, but…" he sighed. "I hate always being jealous of people. Jealousy has never gotten me anywhere in life. I mean, I could always end it by forcing you to dump your girlfriend or sabotaging your relationship with her. But…And this is how I know I really love you. This is how I know that our relationship is not just cheap puns and one-liners like it was with Miss Pauling…I want you, Lena, to be with the one person who makes you happy. Even if that person is not me, which I can tell that it isn't. What matters the most to me is that the girl I love so much is living the life that she wants to, even if I can't love her myself."

Tracer's happiness was beyond words. She knew she found a wonderful friend in him. He loved her so much, that he was choosing her happiness over his own. She felt so happy that she just wanted to rush to him and give him a full kiss on the lips just for saying that. But she didn't want to do it in front of her own girlfriend. Maybe she could do it some other time for him.

"Love, listen to me closely here. If anyone tells you that you're worthless or that you have nothing to live for, _do not listen to them_. The fact that you just said that to me means that you have so much love and respect for the people that you care about. You may appear to be a young boy, but you really are a man. Real men think of the people that they love, which was what you have been doing now."

Jeremy felt so satisfied to hear that. Both he and D. Va felt like tearing up from hearing her say that. As they got into the car and drove back to Watchpoint, a pair of mysterious eyes was watching them.

Widowmaker had been following them ever since they left the base, all the way to Five Guys, and all the way here to Guitar Center, using another car that she stole from Symmetra. She was nicknamed The Spider for a reason. She was very good at getting around and listening into conversations. She couldn't hear Scout and the girls' talk from behind the soundproof practice room walls, but hearing them talk out in the parking lot just a minute ago made her question her entire life.

She was once in a similar spot where Scout was in right now. She felt that no one loved her, and that her life was worth nothing and that no one would care if she was gone. She didn't have her own Tracer, Emily, and D. Va to give her advice and tell her that she wasn't alone. Because of this, she started becoming a renegade killer, and was soon found by Talon, who made her into a monster. A mad, vengeful, rage-filled monster whose heart was stone and whose only thought was to kill, murder, wipe off the face of the earth.

But now, she was starting to regret it. Hearing Scout openly confess his feelings for Tracer made her realize if she had her own Tracer all those years ago to keep her from going down such a path that would lead to her becoming a murderer. Looking back, she probably did. She probably had someone who loved her so much, someone who would help her overcome her struggles.

And that person was her husband, whom she killed.

The thought of this made something that people like Genji were unsure that Widowmaker could possibly do: She began to cry. It was softly at first, but then, she fell on her knees and wailed her eyes out. She now regretted everything. She had turned hateful, had turned into a serial killer for revenge, and where did it lead her? Nowhere. She was in no better spot than she was earlier. And now people hate every right to hate her.

She lay face down on the sidewalk, with her hands on her face, trying to stop the tears that were coming from her eyes. "I'm tired of this," she sobbed. "I don't want to be Widowmaker anymore. I want to change myself now. I want to be good now." She continued to cry. As she thought more about it, she thought about Scout. She didn't feel any emotion like this, or even really any emotion at all, until she heard about Scout and everything that he had been through, which mirrored her own problems long ago.

She was starting to develop an infatuation for him as well. However, unlike D. Va (which was a love crush on him) or Tracer (which was more like a big sister helping her brother in need), Widowmaker looked at Scout as her savior. She looked at him as her path to redemption. She thought that he could be the person to stop her from continued merciless and meaningless killing.

"Oh, Jeremy," she sobbed. "Won't you please, please help me?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they were in the car, Scout discovered that his car had a collection of CDs in the glove compartment. Some were of bands that he knew, others were ones that he didn't. He noticed that one CD was _Forty Licks_ , a Rolling Stones greatest hits album from the early 2000's. It had a lot of songs that Scout knew, like the classics "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," (which he could relate to), "Sympathy for the Devil," and "Get Off of My Cloud," and some that he had never heard before, like "Don't Stop," "Emotional Rescue," and "You Got Me Rocking."

Feeling that D. Va now changed her mind about rock and roll, Scout popped in a CD into the CD player, and as "Street Fighting Man" came on, he was singing along with it. D. Va tried her best to hold back her annoyance at this. She was changing her mind about music, but she still had a low opinion of rock and roll. But she wouldn't dare let Scout know about this, because she wanted to help her chances in any way she could. Although when "You Can't Always Get What You Want" came on, she had to shout out, "My god, how long does this song go on for?!" She was never a fan of seven-minute songs.

Finally, after lots of driving and singing, they were back at Watchpoint. "Here we are, at the corner of 52nd Street and Filth Avenue," Jeremy joked, as he drove the car back into the tunnel to Symmetra's workshop. As they got out, they were greeted by a very angry Symmetra who was that way because they had left her tools and equipment in a cluttered mess when they left.

"Where have you been?! Why are my tools scattered everywhere?!"

Grabbing their instruments out of the trunk, they all said quotes along the lines of, "Had some stuff to do," "instruments to buy," and other similar excuses. They all rushed back upstairs and left their new purchases in their rooms, then rushed into Watchpoint's meeting room to discuss Winston's so-called "important emergency meeting."

Everyone was gathered around in the meeting room. It was beginning later than expected, and wanted. Everyone was waiting on Scout, Tracer, and D. Va to get in the room so that the discussion could begin. Emily, not being an Overwatch member, went up to Tracer's quarters.

Finally, they rushed in, and were greeting with some mild annoyance from the gorilla-in-command. Spy was down there as well. He was able to get out of Medic and Mercy's wing earlier than expected, but he was still wrapped in bandages and casts and even had a cane with him. It was clear that he had something that he needed to say, and Scout had only the slightest feeling of what it was. He had sensed it for a long time. He was surprised to see him so badly hurt, though. He wondered how he got to be like that, but assumed that he had just picked a fight with one, or both, of the Japanese brothers.

"Why did you do it?" An irritated Winston asked as they got in.

"Do what?" said Jeremy innocently.

"Do what you did!"

"What are we supposed to have done that makes you ask why we've done what we did?"

"Leaving the base to eat lunch and buy instruments!"

 _What?_ Scout peaked inside his shirt. "Damn, I knew I shoulda removed that tracking device." He looked at Tracer, hoping that she would speak up. She just gave him a look that said _I'm not saying anything. This was YOUR idea_. D. Va only elbowed him in the ribs and muttered, "Tag. You're it."

"Ummm…well…The girls invited me out on a double date. I said yes."

Tracer shrugged. _Good a response as any_ , she thought.

Winston could tell there was something more than that, but decided that the purpose of the meeting was more important.

"So, now that _everyone is here_ , we have some reports. Pharah?"

"Thank you, Winston. Our reports indicate that Blackwatch is planning to attack downtown London in a couple of days."

Everyone was surprised. What was Blackwatch doing in London, of all places? But Pharah provided an answer to that.

"The reports indicate that they have found out that Lena's girlfriend lives there, so they're planning to capture her and use her as bait to force us to comply to their demands, whatever they may be."

Lena looked horrified. _Blackwatch is coming after Emily? Oh no! What'll I do?! I need to_ \- But she quickly stopped panicking once Mei pointed out, "Well, they're definitely in for a big surprise once they find out that her girlfriend isn't there." After hearing that, Lena breathed a sigh of relief. _Oh, that's right. She came here already. How could I forget?_

"That's right, Mei. With that being said, we'll use this to set up a surprise attack against them. They don't know that Emily is already with us, so this gives us a chance to catch them off-guard and weaken their forces. If we're lucky, we may even have a shot at nabbing their big man."

"For those of you who don't know," Winston said, directly pointing his attention at the RED Team, "Their head man is a pretty nasty dude. His name is Gabriel Reyes, better known as Reaper. Long story short, he's the head of Blackwatch, which used to be part of Overwatch until a nasty incident turned him into what he is today. Since then, he's been out for revenge against us."

"Well, this sounds like a pretty wicked dude," Scout said. "But in our time, we've fought evil wizards and giant demented eyeballs. Surely, we're more than a match for ol' Gaben."

Tracer, D. Va, and Mei burst out laughing at that statement. Even Winston chuckled at it. "Love," Tracer said, trying to control her laughing fit, "Don't – Don't call hehehe – him…G-G-Gabahahahahahah!" She fell out of chair and on the floor. She was barely able to breathe now.

"No, don't listen to her," Mei said. "Just go up to him and call him Gaben. I wanna see what he'll do when he hears that."

"Yeah, I ain't scared. I don't fear this Reaper. He wants to hurt my friends, I'll give 'im a piece of my mind. Then I'll take a piece of his lunch."

This gained more chuckles and laughs from people around the room.

"Now, now, everyone, this is no laughing matter," said Winston, laughing. "We…We need to…plan out our strategy accordingly. We need to take them by surprise remember?"

"Yeah, I have the perfect way to do it!" Scout said enthusiastically. "Remind me to bring my pizza delivery boy outfit. It's got jacket pockets. I'll hide my scattergun inside it."

"Can't you just be serious for a little bit?!" Hanzo snarled at him.

"I tried that once," Scout said. "And everybody laughed at me." More laughter from around the room.

"This behavior is very disrespectful and unbecoming of an Overwatch official! I wonder how someone as stupid and unskilled as you could have made it into our watch!"

"Kubo, I only happen to be an official because I stupidly accepted Donkey Kong's invitation to come to this costume party."

"COSTUME PARTY?!" Genji roared. "Why you little-"

"Put a cork in it, Genji!" Winston shouted. Obediently, but with reluctance, Genji sat back down.

"And as for my combat skills," Scout continued. "If you seriously question that, I'm gonna have to challenge you to a duel."

"Swords or pistols?" Soldier asked him.

"I was thinkin' more like an axe fight." Everyone looked at him weirdly. "What? I'm a guitarist! Axe fights are my jam!" As the laughter continued to ring out through the halls, Winston realized that this wasn't going to go any further.

"OK, everyone, last thing I want to say: We leave for London tomorrow morning. Dismissed." _What am I running here, a team of heroes, or a comedy club?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That evening, Spy was once again sitting in Winston's chair in his lab, smoking a cigarette and drinking some wine. He wondered what he was doing here, in some futuristic lab ran by anthropomorphic ape that served as the base for a group of heroes, which he never called himself.

What were any of them doing here? None of them were heroes. They only came because the ape offered them more money than their then-current employers were. Still, they must have really needed them for something important, or they would not have done it. But Spy couldn't help but wonder what that thing was.

Finally, Winston came into the lab, with a mix of surprise, amusement, and irritation that the French spy was sitting and smoking in his chair. Sensing that he wanted him to leave, Spy took his feet off the control panel and prepared to get up, but Winston stopped him.

"No, stay where you are. For once, I'd like to pretend that _you're_ in charge of this nut farm."

Very surprised, Spy remained seated. "Is there any particular reason?"

"No, I've just been feeling less than stellar lately." He paused to peel off a banana and eat it. "You know we went all the way back in time to recruit you guys, right?"

"Because you needed help fighting these people you call terrorists?"

"Yes. We've been growing too predictable. Talon has been able to tell what we were going to do and when we were going to do it. We realized we needed some people who had unorthodox fighting styles that Talon would not expect. We couldn't find anyone like that in our time, so we discovered about the Gravel Wars in your time thanks to the internet." Spy looked confused. "It's like a digital library," Winston said.

"Anyway, we knew you guys would give us the edge that we needed, so that's why we went back to recruit you. And we've been winning more fights ever since you guys joined."

"But?" Spy asked.

"But what?"

"Come on, nobody gushes and praises us so much without following up their statement with a big 'but'. So what is it?"

Winston sighed. "The people don't like us. They've been involved in our fights too often and that has resulted in innocent people getting killed and their beloved houses and buildings being destroyed. Now, with you guys on the team, it's only gotten worse. You guys don't seem to have any standards for 'honorable killing,' as Genji and Hanzo like to call it. You just shoot guys in their heads and laugh at them as their blood and brains splatter all over the walls. That makes people look at us as a group that only cares about killing and violence, when, ironically, we are against all of that."

"Now, that's not true. We may like to kill people, but we have only killed bad people. We have high enough standards that we never go to people's doors and start shooting them.

"Yes, I know that," Winston said. "But-"

"And I once protected a young boy from being stabbed by an evil Santa Claus at a shopping mall, and my son even assisted me."

"Yes, but good luck trying to convince the average civilian that they aren't being targeted by you.

By the way, does your son know the truth yet?"

Spy paused. He hadn't actually told the truth yet, but he didn't want to say that, because he didn't want to come off as an irresponsible parent. But then again, it was a little too late for that, wasn't it? " _Non_ ," Spy replied. "I have not. I have yet to get a chance to tell him. I am still in casts and bandages, as you can see."

"Should I call him down here?"

"Sure. I need to tell him sooner or later. And since we're leaving for bloody England tomorrow, I do not know how many more chances I'll have."

"I'll get right on it. Mei-" Mei immediately walked in before Winston could finish calling for her. "Damn it, Mei! How many times must I tell you-"

"You wanted me to come in here, Winston?"

"Yes, but why do you always come in before I finish giving the command?"

"Well, I don't want to be late, Winston."

"How can you be late if you come in before I even know I need you?!"

"I called for Jeremy to-"

"Could you call for Mr. Scott to-"

"Come down and see you-"

"-and see me and Spy? Please? Thank you." She had already left the room.

"Is she always like this?" Spy asked.

"Always. I don't know how she does it."

"Well, it's not unusual to us. We had an administrator who managed our team back in the Gravel Wars. She had an assistant named Miss Pauling who did the exact same thing."

"Well, of course, _you_ don't find it unusual. You don't find anything unusual."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you. I think a lot of people, even people working for Mann Co. would freak out if they saw a giant anthropomorphic gorilla with battle armor. They'd think you were either three guys in a costume or a failed lab experiment. Except for our boss, Saxton Hale. He'd think that you're his new wrestling opponent." Winston looked confused. "Gorilla wrestling Fridays," Spy explained. "He'd love to have a wrestling match with you. He's never one to back down from fighting someone twice his size. He once fought a lion while also getting a haircut."

"Sounds like a real character," said Winston, unamused by such a big, stupid buffoon. "But you guys take the cake for the most unusual people I've ever met. I'm convinced half of you are insane. I sometimes wonder about your teammate known as the Pyro. Does he even have a real name?"

"If he does, we don't know it. We don't know his name, we don't know his country of origin, we don't even know if he is even a he. Sometimes we even question his humanity.

But he seems decent enough that we can now trust that he always is and always will be on our side."

"OK, but what about your doctor? Unlike our Mercy, it seems like your Medic has no moral or ethic codes or standards. Personally, I don't believe that man's ever been to medical school."

"Oh, he has, he's just lost his medical license. I don't entirely know how. All I know is that it involves a missing doctor and a patient without his skeleton."

Winston shrugged and gave off a facial expression that said, _My point exactly_.

At that moment, Scout arrived. As hours had passed since the meeting, he had changed his clothes, and it was the most random and mismatched set of clothes anyone had ever seen, but by that time, Winston and Spy had seen so much crazy stuff happening that they could really care less.

"There you are, boy." Winston said. "I've called you down here because your spy has something that he would like to say to you." Then he turned to Spy and said, "Should I leave?"

"If you want, but maybe you should stay, just so that the boy might find some-"

Mei came back into the room. "Winston-"

"Mei, whatever it is, sign it, cancel it, or order five more!"

"Um, it's about that pool table that you ordered. It's at the main entrance, and you just need to sign the papers saying that you got it."

"Oh, OK, you go to the delivery boys. I'll be there in just a minute." Mei left the room, and there was a long pause of silence before the gorilla finally came to his senses. "Wait a minute, _a pool table?!_ I didn't order a pool table! Who ordered this thing?!"

Spy rolled his eyes. "It was probably one of our guys. I just saw them the other day on your computer ordering 100,000 explosive barrels as well."

Winston was shocked. "What in the HELL are we gonna do with 100,000 explosive barrels?!"

"You tell me."

Angered, Winston huffed out of the room.

Father and son were now alone. For a long time, neither of them spoke. Scout didn't exactly know why he was called down here, but I had the scantest feeling that Spy was going to tell him something very important.

"So, I assume you're wondering why I've lately been wearing this surgical garb?"

"Oh yeah, I've noticed. Dat looks incredibly painful. What happened to you?"

"That British girl did this to me. She beat me up so badly that she put me in a coma."

Scout was shocked. "Lena did this? How?! And why?!"

"I revealed something to her that made her go ballistic on me. It concerned someone that she really cared about. I am talking, of course, about you, young man. She heard me reveal a secret about you that she didn't like hearing."

"Well, what is it?" Scout asked.

"Jeremy, you are my son."

Scout was indeed shocked to hear this. "You're joking," he said.

"No, I am not. And you know I'm not."

Jeremy couldn't believe it. He had suspected this for a long time, but he still couldn't believe it. Looking back, it did make sense. Spy had always acted more like a father than a co-worker. He was often very protective of him, he listened to him more than anyone else, even if it did result in some mockery, and Spy seemed like the kind of man who would conceal some big secrets.

He was sad, and also angry. "Why? Why did you leave me?!" He yelled. "I was just a kid! I never knew my dad! All the other kids got to play with their dads and I didn't! Why?! Why didn't you-"

"Before you start beating me up, let me remind you that Miss Oxton already did. Pretty badly, too. And I deserved it."

Spy told him the whole story. Jeremy listened, but still felt resentful towards him.

"Son, I know how you feel, and you have every right to feel this way. I have not been a good father. At all. By any stretch of the term. But now I'm saying that I'm here. I am willing to be a father for you. I know that it's very late for me to do so, but you deserve it. Your life has been very hard, and I want to help change that. I want to be the father that I never was. And now, in the future, away from all my enemies in the past, I know that I can do it. So please, give me a chance to prove myself."

Jeremy was shocked again. This man, whom he had always known as the cold and ruthless spy, was now begging him for help. He had never expected this. This man, who always seemed so cold and complicated was now asking the most unlikely person of all for assistance.

"Believe me, I love your mother. I only left to keep her and you safe. But now I know that I should have done more to help the both of you, and all of your other brothers. And that is why I am planning to go back into the past to bring them all into here, where we will be out of reach of all my old enemies and we can possibly start a new life here."

Scout was now feeling better. He still felt bitter towards Spy for what he had done before, but was now willing to forgive him, now that he seemed to be trying to correct the error of his ways and make up for all those years of neglect. At least he was trying.

At least, Scout hugged his father. Spy gladly accepted it. "OK…dad," Scout said, sobbing a little. "I don't know if I can completely forgive you, but…thanks for trying to help us."

"Thank you, son. I know that you'll want to live away from me, and I don't blame you. But just know that I love you very much and from now on, I will always look out for you."

Scout felt so much better than he had felt in a long time. All of a sudden, people around him were coming up to him and saying that they wanted to be a part of his and look out for him. Tracer, her girlfriend, Hana Song, who now seemed to have a crush on him, and now this man who claims to be his father, all saying that they want to help him. Unknown to him, the French ex-Talon agent also wanted help from him.

Scout always said that he would never forgive the man who abandoned him, but was now willing to go back on his words. He knew he couldn't hold a grudge against him forever. "Thanks, dad," he quietly said.

Winston came back into the room at that moment, still grumbling over the pool table and explosive barrels. But his face softened up once he saw the reconciling father and son. "I see everything has gone well over here. That's good. I was half-expecting my lab to be trashed with broken computers and blood all over them."

"Yes, I was also expected that, too," Spy said. "Well, we've got a busy day tomorrow, so I'm heading off to bed now. See you tomorrow, son." And with that, he left.

"See ya, dad."

After Spy left, Winston spoke up. "I see you two have made amends with each other now."

"Yeah, I know I should hate him forever for what he did, but I just can't. I can just tell he's sorry for everything, and I'm a huge sucker for people like that."

"Well, I'm not a father myself," the gorilla said, "But I know from experience that when a parent says they're sorry, they mean it. So I'm glad you're giving him another chance. I just hope you'll give Lena a chance as well.

Yes, she told me that you're going to spend a few days in that apartment by their house to see if you will like living there. I must say, that this is a good compromise. It lets Lena know that you care about her enough that you will listen to her and let her know that you value her opinions."

"I try," said Scout. "This is not easy for me, you know."

"I know, but I must thank you for at least thinking of Lena's feelings."

"Hey don't cozy up to me yet. I haven't agreed to move in, I just said I'd try it out."

"I know," said Winston. "Well, now that everything here is settled, you should probably go up to your room and get some rest. We leave tomorrow morning, remember."

"I know," said Scout. He was getting ready to leave when Winston stopped him again.

"Oh, and one more thing. We're going up against an old friend of ours who turned against us. I'm hoping that just like with Widowmaker, we can convince him to rejoin our side. So please, treat this one seriously. Don't let me down."

"Buddy, would I do anything to disgrace this uniform?" Scout asked, wearing only his slippers, a pair of blue swimming trunks, a red bathrobe, and a _Schoolhouse Rock_ T-shirt. And then he left.

 **So that's it for this chapter. This one took a while to write for a couple of reasons. One being that I wasn't sure what to do after the last chapter. The direction of this is largely influenced by what my readers want to see.**

 **Second, remember that I'm a college student and that I have other things to worry about. In fact, I was originally going to tag on the scene where they go to London and have their fight, and it's here where Scout makes his decision on if he should stay or go. I decided to post what I had already written early because I have two midterms coming up this week, and I need to study for those. So, I've decided to go on a brief hiatus from writing this story so that I can study for my midterms, and post the story that I have already written, and save the London/decision scene for later.**

 **But don't worry, I'm not finished writing this. On Saturday, after my tests have been completed, I will resume writing this fanfiction. I will keep my promise that I will continue writing this until the status bar says Complete. And I can promise you that the next chapter will be the one where Scout makes his decision.**

 **Also, one last thing. Due to life getting in the way, I have not been able to do proper research on Reaper and the Blackwatch. So if I got anything wrong here, let me know in the reviews, so that I can retcon my mistakes in the next chapter.**

 **That's all for now. Hope to see you again soon!**


	14. Chapter 14: Scout Drops the Bomb

" **God fucking dammit dude I know people like this shit but it's almost insulting to make scout this much of a pussy. I've been dealing with it since chapter 1 and it's pretty damn annoying. Instead of him crying, he could ummm... Ya know... Maybe grumble and stay out of sight from everyone. These are hardened mercenaries and they laugh at people getting their heads ripped off. Just wanted to let you know." –Anonymous**

 **Well, I'm sorry if you don't like it, but crying doesn't make him a pussy. You have to admit in the TF2 canon, he has lived a hard life, without his father, with seven older and meaner brothers, and always being around people who are stronger and more powerful than him. That's probably why always acts so tough and cocky, he's trying to hide who he really is. And I think that makes him more relatable to people. That's why they like this story so much. Because they feel that it's real. And this is where Tracer comes in. She's the first person that's told Scout that he doesn't have to hide it anymore, and this is where his inner self is coming through now.**

 **But if you don't like it, then write your own fanfiction.**

" **This is "A loyal reader." Finally got around to making an account. Don't ask about the username because I couldn't tell you how I came up with it." –iAmBecomeSnail**

 **Well, it's nice to know that I can now call my loyal reader by a real name now, even if it is a little silly.**

" **Lemme guess, you called him Gaben because of... well, Gaben. right?" –A.M.I.A**

 **That is correct. I'm surprised no one's done this before me. When I first heard that Reaper's name was Gabriel Reyes, I just thought, "Oh, lord. The internet is gonna start calling him Gaben now." I would have thought it would have become a cliché by now. Guess not.**

 **Anyhoo, continue reading this. You'll find something very interesting I made up for Reyes/Reaper in this story.**

" **Widowmaker now? I have to say you're taking a big risk here adding another to the possible list but it's also a good one." –TheHumanoidTyrant**

 **The way I've worked this out is a very interesting type of relationship. You've got three women who are pining over the same man, but for different reasons. D. Va is the only one with an actual crush on him, Tracer wants to help him, and Widowmaker wants him to help** _ **her**_ **. I feel like this hasn't been done before.**

 **Well, that's enough for reviews. Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for.**

" _Wake up, Overwatch! Rise and whine! It is 0700 hours and all is hell! Now you maggots get outta bed before I"_

" _That's not what you say on the intercom to everyone here! Gimme that!"_

" _Listen here, Sally, what I'm saying over here is what everybody is thinking so don't you dare-"_

" _You are never-"_

" _C'mere, cupcake!"_

 _BONK!_

 _CRASH!_

 _BANG!_

 _SCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_

Everyone woke up that morning to hear the RED and Overwatch Soldiers fighting over control of the PA microphone before it broke and turned off.

Nobody wanted to get out of bed that early, but they knew they had to. They were due to leave for London in a few hours to carry out a surprise attack on Blackwatch officials who went to Tracer and Emily's house to hold the latter for ransom, not knowing that she was already with the Overwatch, who were alerted to their plans.

Nobody on Overwatch was what you would call a morning person, with the exceptions of Genji, Hanzo, and Pharah. Soldier was the only RED team member who could fit that description.

Mei, ironically, never liked leaving her warm bed, and Sniper was one who could get comfortable wherever he stayed. Medic didn't want to end the precious time that he spent lying in bed with Mercy, whom he hated seeing disturbed during her "beauty sleep," as she liked to call it, while Tracer felt the same way with Emily.

Scout was THE ultimate rock star. He would often stay up until 1:00 AM and then crash on his bed until 11:00 the next morning, usually playing his instruments (much to Pharah's annoyance), or, having recently discovered a little invention called "home video," would spend hours watching his favorite James Bond movies on his TV. Sometimes, he would even learn how to use his new computer. Tracer and Emily kept telling him something about "social media" and "emails," but he still didn't know what any of that meant. How much fun did he think he could have, seeing books with people's faces in them?

Scout turned over in his bed. Why did they need to wake him up this early? They wouldn't be leaving for a few hours. Couldn't he just get 30 more minutes of sleep? Apparently, Hanzo didn't think so. The latter barged into his room after failing to show up for morning roll call.

"Kid! Wake up!"

" _Nggghhhhh_ …"

"Get up!" He slapped Scout in the face.

"Buddy," Scout said in a groggy voice, "I'm going to count to one, and by that time, you better not be here."

"Don't give me that attitude! We need to leave for London in just a few hours, so wake up!"

"Go fuck a horse!" Scout threw a pillow at Hanzo.

" _What did you just say to me?!_ "

"Hey. Let me put this in words you'll understand: GET LOST!"

"This is exactly my point when I say that our stupid gorilla should not have-WAAAAAAAAARGGGHH!" He tripped over Scout's large pedalboard on the floor. This got Scout's attention.

"Aw, jeez! My pedalboard! I just bought that Flanger yesterday!" He immediately shot up out of his bed. "Listen here, you ninjacompoop, if any of those damn things end up broken, you're paying for new ones, and lemme tell ya, those things are _very_ expensive." But by that time, Hanzo had already stormed out. Scout could finally go back to sleep. But not for much longer.

Ten minutes later, Pharah stormed in. "Are you still asleep?!"

Scout groaned. "I was, now I'm having a nightmare."

"Don't you realize how urgent this is?! We need to get moving if we want to have a chance to attack Blackwatch off guard!"

"Yeah, but at 7:00 AM? Please. I can dish whatever I need to out at those bastards. But let me crash on here for a bit longer!"

Pharah sighed. "Look, you seem like a nice kid. You don't seem like a complete drunken idiot like your other friends, and I don't want to yell at you, but I'm losing my patience right now, so please don't make me yell at you!" Then she walked out of his room.

Scout rolled out of his bed and struggled to get his clothes on. _I hate Mondays._

Breakfast happened as usual: chattering, laughter, and lots of eating. Scout sat with Tracer, Emily, and D. Va. The former two were laughing over the situation they were about to get into.

"Blackwatch has no idea what's coming to them. That's what makes this so funny!"

"I know, right? Maybe those freakin' bastards shoulda checked to see if their target was home before barging in on her."

Tracer laughed unexpectedly after Scout was finished talking.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," Tracer said with a snort. "It's just…" More laughter. "It's your American accent. Everything you say sounds stupid." Then Tracer put on an American accent herself to mimic Scout. "Dat freakin' Reaper's a spy! 'Ey! Get outta my way before I shove my bat up your ass! I am owning you, you fat bald fatty-fat fat-fat!" Needless to say, her attempt at a New England accent was terrible, but Emily found it funny. Scout, however, did not.

"Oh yeah? Well, now it's my turn." He cleared his throat and tried to do an impersonation of Tracer, with a Cockney accent and everything. "Cheers, love! The cavalry's gonna beat your arse! Blimey, that's one small willy you 'ave there! Cor, bloody hell, we were the first ones to use backwards singing on a record, before Hendrix, before The Who, before any fucker." Then he stood up and sang, "Chim Chiminey Chim Chiminey Chim-Chim Cherr-oo! Imitating me, is that the best you can do? Although I may come off as mildly rude, you'll never be able to top this dude!" He sat back down.

Tracer was less than amused. "Your British accent was terrible, love. And seriously, when has any Brit used the word 'dude'? We get around by saying 'bloke.' Do some research, love."

"Oh sure, like you're the Mel Blanc of this friggin' team. Your Boston accent was," putting on his Cockney accent again, "Something quite atrocious."

Tracer laughed. She couldn't help it. This is one of the reasons why she loved him so much. He always had a good joke up his sleeve whenever he needed it.

"Love, we are going to have some great times together once you move in with us."

Scout's face fell. He forgot that they were travelling somewhere he was going to stay in for a few days. He still needed to make his decision, but now he had a few more days to do it, and with him giving their option a trial run, at least he would be able to make a decision soon.

After everyone else left, Winston stayed behind to help clear up the mess. He expected everyone went to their assigned sectors to prepare for the trip. But then he saw someone he didn't expect to see come in. It was Widowmaker. Winston was surprised. He hadn't seen her in a very long time and was starting to wonder where she was and what she was doing.

Widowmaker did not look like the cold and heartless killer that Talon had turned her into. In fact, she looked the total opposite now. Her purple skin was becoming lighter, her long hair was messed up, and her eyes were bloodshot, which Winston could tell came from spending a long time crying.

Winston was amazed. He had never seen the Spider show any emotion whatsoever, which was why he had to bribe her in order to get her to switch sides. But he only get a few seconds to think about this before she spoke up. "W-Winston?" Her voice was very slow and sounded like it was cracking. Water was forming in her eyes, and snot was starting to run down her nose. "C-Can I speak with you?"

"Of course you can," Winston said, clearly taken aback from such an unexpected question from the Spider.

Widowmaker sat down. "I – I don't know if you think that I am nothing more than…than some hateful killer, you…you probably do, but…please…please listen to me." Winston nodded. He did think that way towards her, but was beginning to think otherwise, now that she was crying and asking for help. "I – I – I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of being Widowmaker. I've killed so many people, and now I…I don't have it in me to kill one more person. But…I feel that it's…too late for me now."

"What's too late?"

"…My chance for redemption. I want to turn my life around, but I…I don't know how." She broke down crying. She put her face in her hands and sobbed into it. Winston put an arm around her shoulder. "Oh God. What have I done? I've done so many bad things to so many people. I want to save myself. I want to end this torment, but am I just doomed to live it out like this?"

"What makes you think you're doomed?" Winston asked.

"I heard about that young boy."

"Scout?"

"Yes. Or Jeremy, as his real name appears to be. His life seems to be a lot like mine when I was his age. Nobody loved me. Nobody was there for me. I was an outcast. I went to Talon because I had no one else to turn to, and they made me into a monster, and I HATE IT! I'VE TURNED INTO A MURDERER, AND WHERE DID IT TAKE ME?! NOWHERE! I'M STILL THE BITTER AND LONELY GIRL WHO NOBODY LOVES! AND NOW NOBODY HAS TO LOVE ME BECAUSE I'M A KILLER! EVERYBODY BETRAYED ME! I'M FED UP WITH THIS WORLD! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Any further speech from her was incoherent. She was too busy crying to speak any more. Then, with red eyes, she turned to Winston and said, "Please…Help me."

Any prejudice that Winston had against her was gone now. He knew that he had made the right decision by getting Amelie Lacroix on their side. He could tell that she was genuinely trying to change herself now and get her life back on track. "Winston? Did I have to go down this dark path that I went down? Is there any way I could have avoided it?"

Winston said to her sympathetically, "My dear, as an Overwatch official, there are two things that I have learned. And they are the first two rules in the official handbook.

Rule Number One: Bad people exist in this world and will do bad things.

And Rule Number Two: Overwatch heroes can't change Rule Number One.

So maybe you didn't have any choice. Frankly, I can understand why someone would do what you did. Talon clearly needed a strong and cunning sniper on their side, and they take advantage of neglected people like you. They gave you an option when you had no one else to turn to. With all the crap that had happened in your life up to that point, why would you have said no?

This is why Overwatch's goal is to do more than save the world. It's to make it a better place to live in. You can stay with us now, but if only someone like me was there when you needed it years ago, you might have been able to prevent yourself from turning to evil in the first place.

That's why I hope we can reach out to as many people as possible to give them the options to do good instead of bad. To let them know that someone is there for them, even when no one else is. So yes, I will help you. It's not too late. I will help you. I will protect you. Talon will never get you back now."

Widowmaker sniffed. " _Merci_. I have to say. Lately I've been looking at Jeremy as a role model for me. He seems like the kind of person who I can model my new life around."

"What makes you say that?"

Widowmaker led him out of the mess hall. She pointed to Scout's room, where he, Tracer, Emily, and D. Va were sitting and laughing about something she didn't know. All she did know was that Scout went through the same things she did without becoming a cold-blooded killer.

And Widowmaker with her life screwed up, and she knew it, stood puzzling and puzzling. "How the hell did he do it?" She grabbed Winston's arm and said to him. "He did it without violence." She looked at the group again, then she looked back at Winston. "He did it without hate." She looked at the group again, then she looked back at Winston. "He did without turning to evil before realizing it was too late." She puzzled and puzzed until her puzzler was sore. Then Winston told her something she hadn't heard before.

"Just because it doesn't seem like nice people exist in this world, it doesn't mean that they're not there. If you look hard enough, then someday you will find someone who does seem to actually care about you and will help you get through your struggles. Look at Jeremy. He made an unlikely friend in Lena. So much so that he wanted to be her boyfriend, and even though she said no, she still loves him. Hana is falling in love with him, too. And yet he still doesn't think that anybody loves him. The point I'm trying to make here is, never undervalue yourself. Never think that you're unlovable. Sooner or later, you'll find someone who will give you shelter. You just have to keep looking and never give up. Maybe you'll find it in the most unlikely place imaginable."

Widowmaker smiled. If what the ape just told her was true, then maybe she could find a savior in Scout. Then she stood up and said, "Thank you, Winston. From now on, my name is no longer Widowmaker. I shall go back to my original name, Amelie Lacroix."

Winston returned the smile. "I knew we could change you. Now, go get ready. We're leaving for London soon."

Amelie felt much better now. Now she was confident that she could turn her life and become a good person again. It wouldn't atone for all of the bad things that she had done before, but at least now she knew the error of her ways and swore to never become the monster she once was ever again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, the Overwatch were riding on their personal aircraft towards London. Space was a little bit tight, as the Overwatch members were now sharing it with the RED Team, which they were not used to doing, so some members, like the Japanese brothers, felt very cramped in their surroundings.

Not all of them felt this way. Mercy was sitting on Medic's lap, something that both of them were more than okay with. Scout was sitting in one corner with Tracer, Mei, and D. Va. As the least powerful members of the group, they would be sent in first on the mission. At Tracer's suggestion, they called themselves The Cavalry. Winston didn't think that many fighters were needed for this task, as it would be a surprise attack on the Blackwatch forces. Engie, Sniper, and Demo were sharing another corner with McCree, Junkrat, Lucio, and Reinhardt. They were the Heavy Duty Artillery, who would be deployed just in case the mission was too much for The Cavalry.

Some of the team were on supports roles, such as the doctors, the two snipers (to keep a distanced view on things), as well as the RED Spy and the Overwatch spy, Sombra. The two Overwatch mechanics, Symmetra and Torbjörn, would remain on standby in case just a little more firepower was needed. Everyone else had geared up for action as a last resort just in case it was needed, but Winston was confident that the Cavalry could handle it on their own. All the same, he didn't want to take any chances, so he told everyone else to be ready to fight in case that was a necessity.

Emily was onboard as well, since she was planning to stay behind in London now that she was no longer needed at the Overwatch. Plus, she wanted to humiliate Blackwatch by revealing that she was gone and knew about their attack the whole time. There were never any plans to have get out and fight with everyone else, but Soldier had slipped her a shotgun just in case. He even told her that she could keep it.

The Cavalry was striking up another conversation in their corner of the ship. "Ever been to London, love?" Tracer asked Scout.

"Nope. Always wanted to check it out though."

"Oh, so you've wanted to see the real London Bridge and Buckingham Palace and all the other things you can't get in the states?"

"Nah. I just wanted to visit Abbey Road Studios. Y'know, where The Beatles cut all their records and reinvented music. I hear that these days, it's one of National Geographic's New Seven Wonders of the World."

 _Really? That's it?! You just wanna visit my town because of some recording studio?_ Tracer was a little mad, but then quickly decided, _Well, he is very big on rock and roll, and that was such a big deal in his time. And now that I've tried listening to and doing it myself, I can see why_. She felt better now. In fact, she was getting perky again. "Oh, and don't forget to remind me to show you the apartment while we're there!"

Scout was still unsure about this, but only said, "Don't worry. I will. I'll give this thing a try."

After flying for a while, some of the team started to do some fun things to kill the time. The Heavy Duty Artillery struck up a card game, while Scout dug into a Coca-Cola 12-pack he was saving and tossed some cans to Tracer, Emily and D. Va, who had all asked for a can.

"You know," Emily spoke up. "I feel like we've made some great friends during our time together. Lena made some wonderful friends in Hana and Jeremy, and then she introduced me to them. I think we should make a quick toast to our long and healthy partnership.

"I agree!"

"With ya, love!"

"Oh, what the hell. Let's do it."

"Cheers, loves!" Tracer said, and then the four of them clinked their cans together and chugged their contents down.

The three girls were looking forward to living a long life together. But the one boy in their group still had his doubts about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Overwatch was remaining onboard their aircraft after landing in London. They were a distance away from Emily and Tracer's house. Thanks to Symmetra, they could safely teleport over there in case they were ever needed.

The girls' house was at the end of a cul-de-sac. It was a two-story building with a long driveway and lots of trees, grass, flowers, and other plants. All the other houses in the block had this as well, so the Cavalry hid in a bush facing the house. Amelie tagged along as well, just to watch things unfold from a long and safe distance. Pharah and the Japanese boys were against this, as they didn't believe that she was any good to them. They felt that she was just going to betray them and result in something very bad happening, but Winston ignored this. "I spoke to her earlier, and I can tell that she is trying to become good again. Right now, I would almost trust her with my life," he said.

The Cavalry and Amelie crouched inside the bush. It was very small, so everyone in there squished together tightly. It wasn't all bad for Scout, though. His face was pressed right up against Tracer's large and prominent ass. He liked this, but he wouldn't dare say it because he knew she wouldn't feel the same way if the situation was reversed. He never said anything about this, but _damn_ , it sure made him feel aroused.

"Ow! Hey, something hard's poking me in the back!" D. Va shouted out. With his face flushed, Scout quickly tried to think of something else. _OK, Heavy naked, Soldier naked, Miss Pauling…fully clothed._ His arousal quickly slipped away, and he heard D. Va say, "Whatever that was, thanks for getting rid of it, Scout." He felt a little embarrassed to hear Hana Song say this, but at least she made it clear that she didn't know what that thing poking her was. Scout felt better after thinking that.

About an hour had passed. Everyone was getting very uncomfortable now, but they couldn't get out of the bush. They couldn't risk giving away their position. It would end up blowing this entire operation. They knew that they had to just stay where they were. Blackwatch would come along sooner or later.

Finally, half an hour later, a suspicious vehicle pulled up to the driveway. It was all black, with no distinguishing features. About twenty hooded people stepped out of it, all of them armed.

"Uh-oh," Amelie said, watching the whole thing through her scope.

"Don't tell me," Tracer said. "Blackwatch just showed up at the house."

"Yep."

"Reaper with them?"

"Most likely."

"Bring it on!"

They saw them knocking on the door. Of course it would make sense that they would do this, in order to not raise any suspicions from the target that they were after. Most likely, they would wait for Emily to open the door, and then they would grab her once she stepped out.

Naturally, no response came from the door. One of the agents put their ear on the door, probably to try to hear any movement that might be going on in the house at the moment. The Cavalry presumed they didn't hear anything. There's no way they could have since nobody was in the house. Or at least, nobody should have been. Hopefully no one had broken into the house while Lena and Emily were away.

They guessed right. One of the Blackwatch agents took a crowbar to the door and pried it open. _Wow._ Tracer thought, looking at it through Widowmaker's scope. _It's nice to know that our house can be broken into so easily. I better speak to Symmetra about putting in some tighter security measures._ "OK, loves, move in!" Everyone except Amelie got out of the bush. She was going to stay behind to keep an eye on things.

But before going into the house, Scout ordered that they stop at the truck (even though he wasn't in charge). He crouched down at one of the trucks tires (Scout was surprised that cars in 2077 weren't flying), opened the air cap, and pumped some strange chemical into it.

"Love, what are you doin'?" Tracer asked.

"I'm makin' it so that they can't escape." He showed them the spray bottle he was holding. "See this? This is fifteen overcharged ounces of pure isopropyl butane monosulfate. When it's combined with oxygen and a little heat, it will cause a rapid expansion." Everyone looked at Scout strangely. They didn't expect that he knew much about chemistry. But then he said, "Engie told me this, just in case I needed to keep some bad dudes from gettin' away." This implied that he didn't. It made more sense now. "All right, let's do dis!" He charged towards the house. Everyone followed. "Oh-ho. This is gonna be so fun. I haven't done this in a long time. Bustin' some guys' asses and puttin' 'em six feet under!"

"Love," Tracer reprimanded him. "We're not bustin' anyone's arses here. We're just gonna surprise and apprehend them and that'll be it."

"Oh, all right," Scout said, disappointed. Then he perked up again. "Can I at least kick down the door?"

"You're welcome to try," Mei sarcastically to him, "But the other day, it took you 15 minutes to get into an Amazon package." Scout gave her the evil eye.

"Hey, I'm still not used to the internet! I'm from 100 years ago, don't forget!"

"Whatever. Let's just do this."

"That's my line!"

They walked up to the door. "Well, home sweet home, Lena. Sorry if we mess it up."

"It's alright, love. With any luck, it may never happen again. And I've got lots of money. Whatever gets broken, Emily and I can replace."

"Can we PLEASE get on with this now?" D. Va asked impatiently.

"OK, loves. But let's not barge in. We better knock first. We want this to surprise them as much as it would have surprised Emily." Scout did the honors. "I've never had to knock on my own door before," Tracer muttered.

"Who is it?" A voice from inside said. It was clear they were trying to sound as natural as possible to avoid raising suspicion.

Tracer was about to shout out something before Scout said, "It's the pizza boy!" Everyone stared at him. He clearly didn't know standard Overwatch protocol at all, and probably didn't even care.

It turned out to not be a problem, as another voice from inside said, "Mmmm, didja hear that, Reaps? Emmy ordered some pizza for us!"

"Yeah. Wonder why she left before it got delivered to her."

"Whatever, it's ours now. We'll take both the girl and her lunch." The voice was familiar to Tracer, Mei, and D. Va. It was Reaper's voice.

 _Ooooohhh,_ Tracer thought gleefully. _Christmas has come early this year. We are hitting a one in a million shot here. If only I could see the look on his face_.

The door opened, and a Blackwatch agent stopped to face the people on the doorstep. He quickly recognized who they were, but before he could say anything, Hana simply said, "Knock knock," and then Scout blew his head off with his scattergun.

Once again putting his best (and by best, I mean horrible) British accent, he shouted, "Cheers, luv! The pizza's here!" Tracer facepalmed at that.

Naturally, a bunch of surprised grunts and "Huh?"s came from inside the house, and no sooner had the dead Blackwatch agent crashed on the floor with a fountain of blood coming out of his head, did another one see the dilemma and shouted, "Hey, Reaper! We've got trouble! Overwatch is here!"

"WHAT?!" A loud voice yelled from out of eyesight. "How did they know we were here?! How did-" Another scattergun blast rang out, shooting another Blackwatch soldier. "Uh, uh, all right, change of plans, everyone attack!" But by the time he shouted out the order, Blackwatch was already getting their asses handed to them. The Cavalry had burst into rooms at random, taking out whatever Blackwatch agents were standing in there.

Scout was by far the most violent, preferring to shoot his enemies in the head with his scattergun. Sometimes he would fire pistol bullets into their back to weaken them at first before using his main weapon to take them out.

As Mei's powers were limited to freezing, she was assigned the duty of taking Blackwatch hostages back to Overwatch. They decided that they might just give them a taste of their own medicine by turning their scheme into _theirs_.

Pharah was right. This was not a very hard operation. It was so easy, D. Va didn't need to use her mech for it. As they were taken by surprise, Overwatch had easily defeated Blackwatch. All of them took pride in this, but Scout was the only one who showed it. He inhaled the smoke from the barrels of his guns and said, "Oh yeah. I am so touching myself tonight."

"TMI," Mei groaned in disgust.

Then they heard loud footsteps coming from around the corner.

"Uh-oh, loves. Don't celebrate yet. We still have to go up against the boss."

"The boss? You mean Springsteen is here?" Scout joked.

"Can't you be serious for just a minute?!" Mei shouted.

"I told you, I tried once. Nobody took it seriously."

A tall, dark hooded man came from the kitchen in the house. It was none other than Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes. He wore a mask over his face, so no one could see it, but everyone could tell that he was livid that his plans had been foiled.

He scanned the team standing before him in the TV room. He recognized three of the people there, but there was one that he didn't. One who looked very strange, wearing clothes and using weapons that were incredibly dated.

"So, _Overwatch_ , we meet again. And I see you have a new recruit with you. Well then, please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of power and class. My name is-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know who you are, Gaben. These ladies have told me-"

"WHAT DIDYOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"I told you not to do it," Tracer whispered.

"I said, I know who you are, Gaben." If Reaper could possibly be any angrier than he already was, then he was now. He hated being called Gaben, and in the same way that Junkrat hated being called Jamie. "And now, we're here to kick your-"

Mei groaned and interrupted him. "You know what? I'm just gonna freeze him before you get us all killed." She charged straight at him, shouting, "You sir, are coming with us, and we will not let you-" But Reaper easily punched her into the TV, knocking her unconscious and breaking the TV.

Tracer cringed. "Oh, great. Now I gotta buy a new one."

Scout, however, was much more positive. "Wow, man. You really knocked her out cold!"

D. Va facepalmed. Tracer stared at him, giving him a furious look and saying, "Now is not the time for this, love!" She, for the first time, sounded impatient at Scout. Reaper was no more impressed.

"Well, what have we got here? A fucking comedian?"

"Well, part-time comedian, part-time rock star, full-time ass-kicker. And you, my friend, are just the latest victim of my kickass krusade!" And he took out his weapon which he called the Boston Basher and threw it at Reaper. (AN: I know that's not how crusade is spelled. I did it on purpose to make it seem like it was a regular thing that Scout did.)

Reaper cried out in pain at the impact of the weapon and bleeding that it caused. This gave the remaining three members of the Cavalry a chance to take him down. But they soon realized that this was easier said than done. Reaper, despite his injury, was very quick with his guns, and three found that they had to constantly jump and duck in order to avoid getting struck. They succeeded in dodging the bullets (quite literally), but they left bullet holes in Tracer's walls, which only made her sigh at the extra money that she would have to spend to get them fixed, and the questions she would have to answer to the local police and homeland security.

Scout then tried an unusual tactic. While Tracer and D. Va were busy distracting Reaper, he turned on a ceiling fan in the kitchen, cranked it up to its' maximum speed, jumped onto it, and after spinning around for a few seconds, he let go of it, and crashed into Reaper, knocking him to the ground.

This gave the two girls a chance to grab him and bring him back to the Overwatch. But Reaper was a very strong man. After struggling for a bit, he took the upper hand. One by one, he grabbed each of the three Cavalry members and threw them into the walls, leaving them lying on the ground unconscious.

Reaper, now the only one still standing, picked up his guns which were kicked out of his hands, and was about to finish off the four unconscious Cavalry members, when something he did not expect at all happened. He was just about to shoot Tracer in the head, which would have killed her, until he felt himself getting shot in the hand. He dropped his guns and used his left hand to nurse his injured right. He then turned around to see his attacker.

"HEY!" Emily shouted, holding the sawed-off shotgun that Soldier had given her. "DON'T! YOU! DARE!" After every word she yelled, she fired another shotgun shell towards Reaper. "HURT! MY! GIRLFRIEND!"

In a panic, Reaper ran out of the house, leaving behind his guns and victims. Emily ran over to Tracer. "Love, wake up! Are you all right?"

Lena stirred in her direction. "I'm…I'm fine, love. He didn't shoot me, don't worry about that. He just threw…me…against the wall and it…really hurts. But I'll be fine. And so will the others."

"Well, let me see if we still have any of our pills here."

"Please do, love."

Meanwhile, Reaper had jumped into the Blackwatch truck. He was very upset that his plan had failed today. "Great. And now they'll expect me to come back in the future. Well, I will. I just have to return with more soldiers so that they won't have a chance against me." He started up the truck and made his great escape. Or so he thought.

The tires on the truck all blew out (thanks to Scout's chemicals) and the truck spun out of control and crashed into somebody else's mailbox.

"Shit! Shit! MotherFUCKER!" Reaper pounded the steering wheel. "How could this day be any worse than THIS?!" He got out of the truck and decided that he would just have to make a run for it on foot. But he got no further than the entrance of the cul-de-sac when another painfully familiar voice shouted, "Justice rains from above!"

He looked up and saw Pharah, Soldier 76 along with an unknown soldier raining rockets down on him. He was about to fire back at them, only to find out that he left his guns in their house. "Shit! Why am I not running on all cylinders today?!" He ran past his truck, which the soldiers blew up with their rockets.

He ran back into the house, hoping to make a quick entrance, grab his guns, and shoot out any attackers, but of course that didn't go as planned, either. As soon as he sneaked back into the front door, Winston came up from behind him and grabbed him.

"ARRRGGHHH! YOU AGAIN?! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?! WHY DON'T YOU JUST TAKE THE LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE ALREADY?!"

Winston starred at him condescendingly. "I'm not a monkey. I'm an ape."

"I DON'T CARE! GET YOUR STINKING PAWS OFF OF ME, YOU DAMN DIRTY APE!"

It didn't take long for other Overwatch crew members to get in on the action. Pharah, 76, and Soldier aided Winston in restraining Reaper, Demoman, Engineer, Emily, Genji, and Hanzo pointed their weapons at him, while Spy and Sombra came up from behind to pry his mask off.

"NO!" He shouted once his mask was torn off. "My face! Give me back my face!"

"Not a chance," Pharah said. "And don't even think about trying to pull any special tricks on us. We got two snipers who are keeping an eye on everything from far away, so they will punish you for trying to hurt us."

Engineer then stared at him. "Wait a minute, fellas. I know this guy."

"Know him?" Winston said. "How? You've never seen him before."

"Not in person, buddy, but I've quickly learned how to use your internet, and since then, I've been doing some research of everything that's happened on this planet since our time. I've seen that guy in photos, and I am all but certain that it is…"

"Gordon Frohman," Spy finished. "I've seen pictures of him, too."

"That's not my name! My name is Gabriel Reyes! And get that kid of yours to stop calling me Gaben!"

"No, buddy, that is your name. You can't fool me. And I will show the pictures to everyone else to prove it."

"Wait a minute, what did you say his name was?" Winston asked.

"Gordon Frohman," said Engie.

"Gordon _Froh_ man?"

"Yes."

"Not Gordon _Free_ man?" Genji asked.

"No."

"Not Gordon Freeman, the famed theoretical physicist with a surprising aptitude for firearms and combat?" Emily asked.

"No."

"Not Gordon Freeman, the man who liberated the earth and its' hopeless, oppressed human inhabitants from certain slavery and death?" Reinhart asked.

" ."

"He's Gordon…Frohman…" Pharah said uncertainly.

"Yes."

"Gordon Frohman, the sausage king of chic-"

"NO!" Reaper shouted. He gave up trying to escape. He realized that with too many hands restraining him and guns and blades pointed at him, and too few men on his side, he might as well just surrender. With a heavy sigh, he said, "All right. I'll explain my story to you guys. Not that you need to hear it, but I can tell you won't leave me alone until I do."

"Either that, or until you promise to leave this house and never return!" Emily snarled at him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two snipers had rejoined the team in the house. Medic and Mercy were busy attending to the injured Cavalry. Everyone else had gathered in the kitchen to hear Reaper, or Gordon Frohman, as his real name was said to be instead of Gabriel Reyes, tell his story to them. He would only tell his story on the condition that his hurting and bleeding hand was healed up. Thanks to Medic, his demands were met.

"So you were working at the Black Mesa facility the same time as Freeman was?" Winston asked him.

"Yes," said Reaper. "Back then, life was simple, as were the graphics. And people often bought beer for their friends.

I had just been employed there as a security guard when the Incident happened."

"That was the Black Mesa Incident, where the dimensional rifts were torn, and the Xen alien invasion happened, right?" Reinhardt asked.

"Yes, that one. The aliens invaded the facility and almost everyone in it was killed. I had heard of Freeman, and the strategies he used to survive and escape, and even those from another security guard named Barney. I was hoping I could tag along and escape the facility with them, but they didn't seem to notice me at all."

"Wait a minute, mate," Junkrat asked. "How did _you_ get out?"

"Pretty simple, actually. Shortly after the incident, there were reports of the U.S. Marines coming in to save us, but they actually just came to kill the aliens and all human witnesses who were still alive. I escaped by jumping through a hole in the wall that they made. And just after my escape, they nuked the place. I also take pride in the fact that I got my hands on Freeman's employment application somewhere along the way. In fact, I still have it." He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. The sheet read:

APPLICANT: Gordon Henry Freeman

AGE: 27

BIRTHPLACE: Seattle, Washington, United States

ALMA MATER: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Institution of Experimental Physics in Innsbruck

POSITION: Research Associate, Sector C Anomalous Materials Laboratory

CLEARANCE: Level 3

It was then followed by a few pages containing notes about Freeman, his job, and a letter of recommendation from his mentor, Dr. Isaac Kleiner. "I like to keep it with me at all times, to become more like my role model," Reaper said.

"So, how did you get here?" Winston asked. "For someone who comes from a time over 50 years ago, you still look incredibly young."

"I don't exactly know. I remember seeing an old man in a blue suit with a briefcase, several flashes of light, and the next thing I know, I'm on a train inbound to a place called City 17, which was dominated by the Combine."

"Now, if I've read the history correctly," Engie said. "Because believe me, partner, we're from out of time as well, you kinda screwed things up for everyone in the Resistance?"

"Yeeeeahhh. That I'm not real proud of. In contrast with Freeman, who was very heroic and always knew what he was doing, I was very clumsy. I made my partners risk their lives for me, I accidentally gave the Combine ideas, I gave away Combine-free towns, such as one called Ravenholm, and my clumsiness was what led to my half-death, as I call it.

I call it my half-death because I thought I was going to die, but I woke up some time later in a lab. It must have been years, since the Combine had left earth by that time."

"They didn't leave Earth," Winston said. "Freeman managed to overthrow them. And that's why Overwatch was formed in the first place. We wanted there to be a powerful resistance that could take on the Combine and other powerful alien forces should they try to threaten us again, although these days, we're mostly being used to stop criminals and domestic terrorist organizations.

Looking back at in hindsight, it was not very wise to call ourselves Overwatch, since that was a name that the Combine had already taken."

Mercy groaned. "Damn it! Even our name has been used before?! _Do ve have one original bone in our bodies?!_ "

"Anyway," Reaper continued on. "I was found by Blackwatch. They were looking for someone to join their ranks, and they thought they could get me to do it. I told them I couldn't do it. I said that I was clumsy and reckless and that is why I even found myself in the situation that I was in. They said they could turn it around and turn me into a strong and powerful force to be reckoned with. And they did. I worked through the ranks of the group and I quickly became the head dude because of it. I now know what I did wrong all those years ago and I have been determined to never screw up again."

"Hold on," Soldier 76 stopped him. "So you're _not_ Gabriel Reyes? But that's impossible. I was in that building with you when it exploded. That's how I became…well, this. I remember seeing you in that building. There's no way you're not Gabe Reyes. You even look a lot like him."

"Yeah, about that," Frohman said, "The real Gabriel Reyes actually did die there. But Blackwatch didn't want anyone to know that one of their best men had gotten killed in something as wimpy as an explosion. They noticed that I looked a lot like Reyes, as you said, so they told me to start going by his name and even adopt a new persona to make Blackwatch seem that they could survive anything, even an explosion like that. That's where Reaper comes in."

Winston looked at Widowmaker, who had just joined the team at the house, and said to him, "Mr. Frohman, why don't you join the Overwatch?" He said to Frohman the same thing he said to the Spider earlier, about how it was understandable that he did what he did, because it didn't seem like there were any other options, but now he had one. After giving it some thought, Frohman accepted the offer.

"Well everyone, we now have a new member to our team! I have once again brought a criminal back to the good side!" Everyone cheered. Well, almost everyone. Genji and Hanzo could never bring themselves to easily trust anyone. In fact, they were beginning to grow pissed that Winston seemed to just be picking up people at random now, with seemingly no thought or regard to who they were and what they had done before. But for everyone else, it was one more person added to team. Scout, who had now woken up from his state of unconsciousness shouted out, "Hey! Everyone! I'm hungry! Can we eat now?"

Everyone laughed. "Ach, the boy's right," said Demoman. "We need something to stuff in ourselves now!"

"OK," Winston said. "It is late evening now. It's probably time for us to eat."

"Cool!" Scout shouted. "I wonder what's for dinner?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Engineer cooked up a wicked barbecue dinner using Tracer and Emily's gas grill that they had outside. By the time an hour had passed, everyone was chowing down on the delicious food that Engie had cooked up.

Scout decided to eat by himself at first, but then he decided something else. "Yo! Lena! Wanna eat with me?" He called out to her.

Lena was delighted to hear this. "I would love to!" She led him out of the house and into her backyard. "The best place to eat is in our garden," she told Scout. She and him grabbed some lawn chairs and set up by their tomato bed. Not long after, Emily and Hana had joined them. "Cheers, loves, to another successful mission!"

Once again, the four of them had raised their drinks to a toast. "Well, don't forget that technically we did fail," Hana said. "He did knock us all out. I knew I should have brought my mech with us, but Pharah just didn't think we needed it."

"Well, we really didn't," Emily said. "Remember who saved your arses in there."

"Yes, thank you, love," Tracer said, kissing her on the cheek. "We will never forget the brave thing you did in there."

"Oh, please honey, it wasn't really brave. I snuck up on him and shot his hand off. I only managed to do that because I took him off-guard."

"Well, either way, he appears to be one of us now. I constantly wonder how and why Winston chooses to do this."

"Yeah," Scout admitted. "Don't you guys think that Winston is a little inept in his role as leader?"

"He is a little bit," Tracer said. "But he really cares about this planet and the people who live on it. We can forgive a little mismanaged leadership because of that.

Why? How do you see Winston?"

"You want my honest opinion on this?" Scout asked. "Imagine Bugs Bunny as the captain of the _Hindenburg_. That's what Winston is like."

"You honestly believe that Overwatch is a disaster?" Hana Song asked him.

"Well, I keep hearing that the people don't like you guys. They say that all you ever do is cause trouble and destroy things."

"Rubbish!" Tracer shouted. "I mean, yeah, we don't exactly have great relations with the public, and things like…like…like firing guns in a civilian home at random with no advanced warning doesn't go over well, and…" She looked over her fence and noticed the crater in the driveway with what used to be a Blackwatch truck. "…And today's events don't seem to be helping our image, but Winston and especially Pharah are trying to give us a better reputation so that people will start to trust in us again.

Jeremy, whatever you're thinking, don't leave. The world needs heroes, and maybe even some mercenaries. Plus, I always want to be with you. I want to know how you're doing and how I can help you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And I will put more thought into this. It's just a very tough choice for me."

"I know, love," Emily said. "Tell you what, after this, we'll take you to your apartment and you can start your trial run tonight."

"OK," Scout said.

"Thanks love," Tracer said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, after a night of partying and games and Tracer and Emily's house, the latter two girls took Scout across the street to an apartment building. They walked inside and met the receptionist.

"Cheers, love!"

"Are one of you the bloke here to try out the apartment on the ninth floor?"

"He is," Emily told him.

"Well, you're a nice young chap, aren't ya?"

"I am a nice young dude, yeah," said Scout. "I'm tryin' this apartment out because these lovely girls here want me to."

"Oh, American, huh? Well, you better not let it show. Lots of people in here don't take kindly to Yanks. Here is your key," he handed it to Scout, "And your room number is 913."

Scout and the girls took the elevator up to his room. It was about what Scout had expected. It was small, it had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. He had his own kitchen and even a couch and a set of chairs with a TV. The master bedroom had a king-sized bed and his own desk. He figured he could use that to set his computer up at. It came with his own bathroom, with fresh, clean white walls and a tile floor, and a marble-lined bathtub with shower. One of the other bedrooms, to his delight, had soundproof walls on it. He figured he could practice his music in here. There was even a deck outside. It had some folding chairs, a grill and even a hot tub.

"Well love, what do you think?"

Scout was impressed. This looked like something he could get used to. "I think I might like it," he said. "I could probably put all my instruments in this one room."

"Great!" Tracer jumped with joy. "And then you can teach Emmy and I how to be a rockin' star like you!" Scout smiled at that. "Well, we're glad you like it. We're gonna go back to our house and now and get some rest." They were about to head out the door, when Tracer stopped and said, "Wait! I forgot something!" She ran back over to Scout and gave him a huge peck on his cheek. "MWAH! I love you so much, Jeremy. Thanks for giving me a lovely day!"

Scout was very flattered. The huge kiss made him feel uneasy. "It's…It's my pleasure, Lena. Thanks for the kiss."

Tracer giggled. "You can expect more of those when you're living here, luv. Well, see you tomorrow!" And she happily skipped away with Emily.

Unseen by both of them, Scout blushed. It was nice to know that Tracer loved him regardless of her sexuality. It might actually be very nice to live with those two girls. Maybe he could finally overcome his feelings of jealousy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

But overcoming jealousy was not as easy as it sounded. An hour later, Scout went outside to take a look at London at night. It was very beautiful. There were lots of bright lights in the background. The bright white of LED lights looked much better than the harsh yellow of 40-watt lightbulbs from the '60s and '70s. It almost looked like something out from an old painting. Possibly even Van Gogh's _Starry Night_. There were very few sounds. The only sounds he could hear were crickets chirping and the occasional cars driving past.

But he could also see the backyard of Tracer and Emily's house, which was right across the street from him. And he could see the two of them on the back porch. He was too far away to tell what they were talking about, but he could tell they were both into it. They ended their talk by giving each other a long and very passionate kiss. They weren't even just kissing. They seemed to be groping and feeling each other all over. It lasted for a few minutes before they went back inside their house.

Scout was feeling jealous again. In fact, now he was crying. He didn't care that Tracer was gay. What made him sad was that he couldn't do that with her. He would give anything to be able to give her long kisses, or "snogs," as she called them, and touch her very large and seemingly perky breasts.

But he knew that he could never do it. Seeing this made him very envious. And this was only on his first night. Imagine how he would feel if he had to see this every day. There was no way he could do it. But he knew how he would hurt Tracer if he said no to this. It was a conversation that he had with himself a hundred times already and it seemed like he would be having a few more. But he decided it would have to wait until morning. He crashed on his bed, but he had a lot of trouble falling asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Scout was rudely woken up by the ringing of his cell phone. He felt his hand all over his bedside, trying to find it. When he eventually did, he heard an enthusiastic Tracer saying to him, "Love? Are you still at your apartment?"

"Y-Yeah," Scout said, still feeling groggy.

"Well, get over here! Emily and I are cooking up the best breakfast ever and we can't have you miss it!"

"A-All right. I-I'll be over there soon."

Scout climbed out of bed, walked over to his bathroom, and took a quick shower. He then got dressed, and walked back over to the girls' house.

The girls were cooking up huge plates of breakfast for everyone in the Overwatch. Some of which had already shown up, while others had not.

"Mornin' love! Did ya sleep well last night?"

"Yep," Scout lied. He actually couldn't get much sleep at all, because of how jealous he felt seeing the two "snogging." But Tracer didn't notice this.

Despite it happening in a completely different location in a completely different country, Overwatch breakfast happened as normal, with the usual chatter, laughs, and occasional insults.

After he finished eating, Scout stepped outside to head back to his apartment, when he heard a strange noise. It sounded like a guitar being strummed. Everyone else heard it as well, but took little notice to it. "It's probably another open-air concert over in Hyde Park," Emily said.

But Scout was paying more attention to the guitar notes being played. "Wait a minute…" he said in surprise. "I know that sound…"

"What are you talking about, love?" Tracer asked him.

"I remember hearing that sound. There's only one guitarist who sounds like that, but…no…it can't…it's not possible…This is 2077, right?"

"Yes, love."

"He should be dead by now! But…how?"

"What? What is it?" Emily asked.

"Who is it? Who sounds so distinct that you can tell him from any other guitarist?" Tracer asked.

"That sounds like…Keith Richards…but he's dead now. He should be."

"He's not," Soldier 76 told him. "He and the other Rolling Stones are still alive today and they're playing a free concert in Hyde Park today."

Scout was shocked. After a long pause, he shouted, " _How is that possible?! How is Keith Richards still alive?!_ "

76 laughed. "Kid, believe me, everyone in the world has been asking that question for the past hundred years.

I personally believe that every time someone smokes a cigarette, it takes away an hour of their lives and gives it to Keith." Quickly, quietly, McCree snuffed out the cigar that he was smoking. Demoman and Soldier expressed similar thoughts. They too were surprised to hear that rock stars from their time were still alive in 2077.

"Wha…But…How…I…I gotta go see this!" He jumped into Tracer's car.

"Wait, love! That's my car! You can't just drive off in it!"

"Well then, hop in! I ain't missin' this! I've never been able to see the Stones live and I ain't passin' up a chance to do it now!"

Tracer rolled her eyes. "Come on, Emily. We better make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Wait for me!" Hana shouted. As soon as all four were in the car, they sped off.

After they left, 76 turned to the others and said, "Well guys, looks like we're going to a rock concert today." He and everyone else soon followed behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Scout and the girls pulled into a parking lot close to Hyde Park. It was quite a distance away, since the park and surrounding parking areas were crowded. But thanks to their quick speeds, they were able to get into the park and the crowd before it got too crowded that they couldn't move. But there were still lots of people showing up. "There's gotta be at least half a million people here!" Emily shouted.

The concert hadn't actually started yet. What Scout heard was a sound check that Keith Richards was doing with his guitar. The stage was now empty. The actual concert was due to start in just 15 minutes. Naturally, this was not Hana Song's first choice for a concert, but she decided to go to it with Scout and Tracer just to make it look like she respected Scout's interests in music.

But after 30 minutes, the concert still hadn't started yet, much to everyone's surprise and disappointment. "Come on, come on! Hurry up! What's the big holdup?!" Scout shouted out.

Finally, an hour later, the lead singer, Mick Jagger, came out on the stage and spoke out to the audience, "Good afternoon, London! It's wonderful to be here, it's certainly a thrill, and you're such a lovely audience, but I have some bad news.

Our bass guy just had a heart attack and he won't make it to the concert today." A huge groan came from the audience, especially from Scout. "Yes, yes, I know. It just hasn't been the same since Bill left us. Now, can anyone out there play the bass? I mean, someone good? Someone who knows all of our songs and can play them on bass for us? Because if we can't find anyone, then we'll have to cancel this concert."

Scout was shocked. Indeed, he could play most of the Rolling Stones' music on bass. He could play them on any instrument, but he was unsure if going up on the stage to perform was really a good idea. He had never performed live before, much less to a crowd of 500,000, and for one of the biggest bands of all time. But then he heard Tracer's enthusiastic voice shout out, "He can do it!"

Scout looked back to her in shock. Both Tracer and Emily were pointing at Scout. "He can be your bass player!" Emily shouted at the top of her lungs.

"What's that?" Jagger shouted out, noticing the two girls pointing at Scout. "There's a boy in the audience who can play our songs? Well, bring him up here, then ! We wanna see if he can do it!"

The three fought through the crowd to make it to the stage. Once they got there, the security guards pushed the crowd back to let Scout get through. As he was led to the back of the stage, Scout heard Tracer shout to him, "Good luck, love!"

 _Thanks_ , he thought. _I'm gonna need all the luck I can get_.

Scout was led backstage, and there he saw the legends. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, and a few other guys who were offstage touring musicians, playing keyboards, percussion, and saxophone for some songs. Scout was bewildered that they were all still alive. Problem was, most of them looked like zombies now. Especially Richards. Except for Jagger. He somehow looked just the same as he was in the 1970's, just with lots of wrinkles on his face.

"So kid, what's your name?" Richards asked him.

Scout was nervous. Understanable, since he was about to perform with some of the biggest legends or rock and roll. "Um, uh…My name is…Jeremy Scott…but you can just call me Scout."

"Have you heard our songs?" Jagger asked.

"Yeah! I listened to them all the time 100 years ago, and I still do now!"

"Wait a minute," said Jagger. "You're from the 1970's?"

"Yeah!" Scout shouted, forgetting that he was supposed to keep the time travel thing a secret. "I was born in 1955, lived in the 1960's and 1970's and I time-travelled from there to join a group of heroes called the Overwatch, which protects the planet from terrorists and hostile extraterrestrial forces." Only then did he realize that he wasn't supposed to say this. He quickly covered his mouth, but it turned out that it didn't matter.

Richards burst out laughing. "You hear that, Mick? This kid is from the past and is out of time, just like us! And he's some ultra-powerful cop watching over the planet! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Boy, I've heard some tall tales in my time, but that tops them all!" Everyone was laughing now.

Scout was relieved that no one was taking it seriously. He started laughing as well, to make it seem like he was just making the whole thing up. "Y-Yeah. I always like to have a good sense of humor," he said.

"I like you, kid," Ronnie Wood told him. "For an American, you seem like a decent fellow."

"Now can you play bass?" Jagger asked.

"Sure! You guys have one here?"

"It just so happens I have brought one with me," said Richards. Scout grabbed it and pumped out the bass parts to their songs "Under My Thumb" and "Time is on My Side" to prove that he could pull it off.

The Stones were convinced. "Great job, kid! You seem promising. Now let's get on stage!"

Jagger got on first, announcing to the audience that they found their bass player, and now, at 11:30 AM, the concert would finally start. "And now, here we are, the world's greatest rock and roll band, with our new bass player, Mr. Jeremy Scott!" Scout rushed onstage and saw the half-million-strong crowd cheering. He was nervous. He gulped and weakly waved his hand. He looked over to the spot where Tracer, Emily, and Hana were at, and they were cheering him on. They weren't the only ones. The rest of the Overwatch had shown up by now, as well as the rest of the RED Team. And they were all cheering as well. Even Pharah was applauding at him. Although Genji and Hanzo looked like they were only there because Winston forced them to.

But he only had a few minutes to take in his surroundings before Jagger said, "Hey kid! We're doing 'Start Me Up' first!"

"Oh, yeah!" Scout said. He didn't know this song as well as he knew the other ones, since it was released in 1981, after he left for the future. Of course, gotten ahold of and listened to all the Stones' music released after his time, but he was still unsure of himself on these songs.

His nervous feelings were put to rest when he started actually playing the song. He forgot just how good he was on bass, and by the time the song had ended, his confidence had spiked.

Then, they played one of Scout's favorites: "Sympathy for the Devil." Scout always loved the bass part in this song, mostly because it overshadowed the main guitar parts, except for the solos, of course.

Scout was amazed that in his 100+ year old age, Mick Jagger was able to deliver just as much swagger as he could 100 years ago. He strutted around on stage, swung around the microphone stand, and at one point, even was even twirling the microphone around, tossing it out into the audience, and pulling it back in. _Hey! That's Roger Daltrey's thing!_ Scout thought.

Whatever confidence he was lacking was picked up again whenever they stopped to get a quick breather between songs, when he heard the audience roar with applause. They loved him. They wanted to hear more from him. He got his ultimate chance to prove himself when the Stones broke into "19th Nervous Breakdown." Scout was given the not-so-easy task of replicating Bill Wyman's "dive-bombing" bass part at the end, which he was able pull off. He knew he did well when the other Stones gave him a "thumbs-up" after that.

The Overwatch was amazed at the young Scout's ability pull this off. Pharah in particular was impressed in that Scout could convincingly play hard and fast rockers like "Happy" and "Shattered" to danceable beats such as "Miss You" and "Tumbling Dice" and slow, soft ballads like "Wild Horses," "Fool to Cry," and "Angie," which Mercy now called her favorite song.

From this point onwards, Scout was noticing very strange parallels between the songs he was playing and his own life. The Stones were now playing their big signature tune, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Scout heard Jagger sing the suggestive lyrics.

" _I can't get no/satisfaction._

 _I can't get no/satisfaction_

 _Cause I've tried/And I've tried/And I've tried_

 _I can't get no_

It seemed a little strange to hear this, but Scout's mind was quickly turned over to that kickass guitar riff that changed the world in 1965.

But then came the next song, a cover of the Temptations' hit, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."

" _Ain't too proud to beg, baby, baby_

 _Please don't leave me/Don't you go._

 _If I have to sleep on your doorstep/All night and day to keep you from walkin' away_

 _Let your friends all laugh, even this I can stand/Cause I want to keep you any way I can._ "

Then came their first #1 hit, "It's All Over Now."

" _Well, baby used to stay out all night/She made me cry, she done me wrong._

 _She hurt my eyes open, that's no lie/Tables turned, now it's her time to cry._

 _Because I used to love her, but it's all over now_."

Then came one that Scout was less familiar with: The political commentary song "Highwire," released in 1991.

" _So get up, stand up, out of my way/I wanna talk to the boss right away_

 _Get up, stand up, who's gonna pay/I wanna talk to the man right away._

 _We walk the highwire, sending men to the front line_

 _And hoping we backed the right side/with hot guns and cold, cold lies_."

The parallels between the songs and his life were so similar that they were almost scary to Scout. It was almost as if the Stones knew of his situation and were trying to persuade him to quit Overwatch and leave Tracer behind. This was especially prominent in the next songs that they played, which were "The Last Time," "Paint it Black," "Rough Justice," and their cover of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

At one point, after they finished playing "Beast of Burden," Mick Jagger asked Scout if he would like to sing on one song. Scout was unsure, but decided to do one of their post-1978 songs that was familiar with: A simple but fast rocking song called "Mixed Emotions" on their 1989 album, _Steel Wheels_.

When Scout sang this song, he could see Tracer, Emily, and Hana screaming like little girls in the crowd. It was obvious that they loved seeing him do this, so why disappoint them? Why would any true rock star disappoint his audience?

They played for almost four hours. Scout was amazed that he could keep it up for that long. They must plowed through about 50 or even 60 songs during that time. Now they were doing the encores: "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar," and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Scout loved the bassline on the latter song. It was clear that this was the song that the Stones loved playing the most. They loved it so much that they didn't stop after three and a half minutes, which is how long the song normally plays out for. In fact, the five musicians just kept it going. They turned the ending into a long jam. They lost track of how long it was going on for, but they didn't care. The enjoyed it so much they didn't want it to end. However, there were some who did.

"Is it supposed to go on for this long?" Tracer asked Emily. "How long is the original song?"

"Three minutes and forty-two seconds," Emily said.

"And how long is this going on for?"

"Um, I don't know. My stopwatch only goes up to ten minutes."

"Damn. How long can some people play one song?!"

A few minutes later, the song ended. D. Va shouted out, "FINALLY! How long was that song, anyway?!"

"I caught it," Winston said. "The total time on that song was thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds."

"Seriously?! And all bands a hundred years ago did this?! Why?! Why do they enjoy this?! Why can't they tell that their audiences don't like these long songs?!"

"Umm, actually, I think they do, love," Tracer said, pointing to the huge crowd roaring with applause.

"Oh, fine. Whatever," D. Va groaned.

Jagger took the microphone and shouted, "And that's the show, rockers! Thank you all very much for coming out here, and be sure to give a huge roar for Mr. Scott, who saved the show!" Scout went up to the front of the stage, and waved to the audience that was cheering for him. For the first time in his life, he felt needed. This was what he wanted. He then walked off the stage with the Stones.

Once they were backstage, the band congratulated him.

"You were great, kid!"

"Bill would be proud of you!"

"We could not have picked a better choice!"

Even the normally grouchy Keith Richards gave him a pat on the back and said, "That was fantastic, Mr. Scott. Not many kids your age could have kicked as much arse as you did up there."

"Have you ever thought about doing this for a living?" Mick Jagger asked him.

"I have," Scout admitted. "But I don't really know if I should. I can't tell if people want to see me do it."

"Well, once you put 'played with the Rolling Stones' on your resume, you'll get a lot of people wanting to see you. Maybe even another half-million like that."

Scout beamed. Hundreds of thousands of people were cheering for him and chanting his name. This was a feeling unlike any other.

Just then, Tracer, Emily, D. Va, and Widowmaker busted in the backstage area to congratulate Scout. They all wrapped their arms around him, and some even gave him some quick kisses.

"Amazing, Jeremy!"

"You killed it up there!"

"You're a wizard, Jerry!"

"No one else on Overwatch could do what you just did!"

Mick Jagger chuckled at the sight. "Look at that, Keith. He looks just like you when you were his age."

"Yep," Richards chuckled. "And I can just tell he's gonna sleep with every one of them." Thankfully, Scout didn't hear that. Nor did any of the girls.

"Well, come on, love! You've had a long day already! Let's get you back home so that we can throw a party!"

"Woo-hoo!" And then, they all got out.

After they were gone, Jagger turned to Richards and said, "Well, Keith, has the kid put your fears of rock and roll dying to rest now?"

"I have to say, Mick, I do feel much better about the future of music now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that was certainly great, wasn't it, love?"

"Yeah, you just went to see a concert and then you ended up playing in it! There's not many who get that chance!"

"Yep. It was awesome. I loved it," Scout said.

"You almost seem like you could do this instead of Overwatch!" Tracer said, though only jokingly.

But Scout wasn't looking at it as a joke. He now remembered the songs that he played on the stage, which seemed to be telling him to quit Overwatch and leave Tracer, and even the Stones themselves spoke to him in a way that suggested the same thing. He had to make his decision soon, and now he was having an idea about what he wanted to do.

When they arrived back at Tracer and Emily's house, Scout was given a hero's welcome.

"You were good, son, real good. Maybe even the best!"

"It was a VERY high noon today!"

"Mighty fine work there, partner!"

"I wish I could do that!"

"Scout is credit to team!"

"I am proud to call you my son!"

"Zhat vas vonderful! I really like vhen you did 'Angie'!" Mercy said gleefully.

The team continued to cheer on Scout, and he felt proud about what he did. This was the first time that any of them had shown any praise towards him. This was the first time he felt that people wanted to see him. It was amazing. And he didn't want it to stop.

Once the team settled down and began eating dinner, it seemed like everything had gone back to normal. The table was surrounded with the usual jokes, insults, and one-liners, and of course, the drinking. Demoman had already gotten himself drunk before he had finished eating his dinner.

Something had been on Scout's mind for a long time now. He needed to tell someone about it, and now was the perfect chance to do so. He stood up and said, "Everybody, I have an announcement I would like to make." Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and turned to face Scout. Then Scout said to them:

"I am resigning from Overwatch."

 **And there you have it, folks, the first Team Fortress 2 fanfiction AND the first Overwatch fanfiction to feature the Rolling Stones. At least I'm pretty sure it's the first.**

 **After reading this chapter, I'm sure you have a few questions to ask me, so I'll answer them now.**

 **I came up with the idea of making Reaper Gordon Frohman (from the Half-Life fan comic Concerned) after someone pointed out to me that Gabriel Reyes (without his mask) looked similar to Frohman. I made up the story about Reaper/Frohman, as well as the** _ **real**_ **Gabriel Reyes being dead because I liked that idea and I just couldn't get it out of my head. I thought it was just something I could have fun with, and I think I did it just fine. So yeah, I KNOW that I got a lot of things wrong in the OW canon, but I know that. I made all that up simply for this fanfic, which itself exists simply for entertainment.**

 **And before anyone says to me that it doesn't make sense for the Rolling Stones to still be alive in 2077, let me tell you this: It doesn't make sense that they're still alive** _ **today**_ **, in 2017. I am now convinced that Keith Richards is immortal. He's abused drugs so much, still does today, in fact, and yet last year, he outlived David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, two-thirds of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Glenn Frey, and Lemmy. He can take whatever life can dish out to him.**

 **Sorry for the long wait. Again, had so many things to do at school, and I had a lot to say in this fanfiction. It's my longest chapter to date.**

 **And I know I ended it on another cliffhanger, but don't worry. I am not finished with this. I still have more to say. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon!**


	15. Chapter 15: Post-Teenage Wasteland

**First of all, I would like to give a personal apology to Ilovetf2andoverwatch, who hated the story I wrote for Reaper in the last chapter. In retrospect, he (or she) is right. It became the generic crazy fanfiction that I was trying so hard to avoid. I'm actually thinking about just deleting that section entirely and rewriting it. Problem is, I can't think of anything better to do with Reaper in that chapter. The whole reason I've even introduced him into this story is to create some tension within the Overwatch, which will play an important role in a later chapter.**

 **It seems unusual that I would personally apologize to a random user for my own story, but s/he said that s/he created an account specifically to follow my story, so I feel like I've betrayed him/her. So, I'm sorry, but I just don't know what else to do with Reaper there. If you can name a suggestion, I'd be happy to hear it.**

 **That's the problem with creating a fanfiction specifically about Scout and Tracer. You have trouble thinking of things for the other characters to do.**

 **S/he also said that Sombra doesn't fit with Overwatch. I agree. That's why I've been keeping her role to a minimum here. So far, I don't think I've even given her any lines here.**

 **Also, I want to quickly say that I'm surprised that no one has commented on the fact that I put The Rolling Stones as characters in this story. I keep forgetting that few fanfiction writers are as musically inclined as I am.**

 **And specifically to A.M.I.A., I can't explain how they're still alive in 2077, because I can't explain how they're still alive** _ **today**_ **. Anyone who's read the Stones' history knows that they are notorious drug users, particularly Keith Richards. It doesn't make sense they're still alive** _ **and**_ **performing in 2017. So answer that question first.**

 **On with the show!**

Scout's statement hit everybody like a bullet. Nobody could believe what they were hearing. Soldier 76 had a look on his face that said, _I'm going to think back on that statement and it won't be what I thought it was_. He tried to think back to a few seconds ago but the statement remained the same: "I'm resigning from Overwatch."

This was unprecedented. Nobody had ever quit Overwatch before. Everybody fell silent at the sound of that line. In particular, Widowmaker briefly forgot how to breathe, D. Va's face turned white, Emily dropped the dishes she was carrying (which landed on the floor with a loud _crash_ ) and Tracer looked like she had been hit by a train.

"It's been great bustin' up bad guys again, especially with my old pals from 2Fort, but after that concert, I've decided that's what I want to do with my life now. I want to be a star. I want people to cheer for me. I want people to be enthusiastic to see me, which I'm just not getting here in OW."

Tracer was shocked. He was giving up his Overwatch position to become a famous rock star. She couldn't believe it, although it did make sense since he was that great at music and could play killer tunes like those 40 he did just a few hours ago. But then she looked more relived. She expected that he would just move in to that apartment and make London his new home. But then Sniper (who, along with the rest of the RED Team, didn't look surprised to hear Scout say that) asked him, "Where you gonna live, mate? Movin' back to Boston?"

"Actually, no," Scout said. Tracer looked happy now. _Of course_ , she thought. _He's moving here. I will miss him, but at least I know that_ -

"I'm gonna be moving someplace I've wanted to live for a long time now."

"Oh? And where's that?"

"I'm goin' to Portland."

Tracer looked shocked again. _What?! Portland?! That's not Portland like_ -

"So you're movin' to Oregon, buddy?" Engineer asked, confused.

"Yep."

"Why?" Engie didn't get this sudden fascination with the City of Roses.

"Well, ma took me and my brothers there once when I was little. I think she was tryin' to get either Jack or Jared enrolled in that city's college, which I think is Portland State University, is that right? Anyway, we took a family vacation there, and I must say, I thought it was a _really_ great city. The people there are very nice, the air is clean, they're very welcoming and accepting towards everyone, there's no fear of droughts, or hurricanes, or tornadoes, and they make lots of beer there!"

"Oh-ho! I'm likin' this town already!" Demoman shouted.

"I knew you would, man," Scout said, chuckling. "They make just about every form of concentrated alcohol you can get. Not just beer and wine, but anything! Scotch, gin, ales, porters, ciders, lagers, whiskey, rum, vodka, sake, you name it! Basically, if it can be brewed, distilled, or squeezed from an organic life form, you'll find it in Portland! They've got their own breweries and distilleries, and bar-and-grill joints to serve all that booze in! I was so envious of all the people who were able to get some of that nice cold beer because I couldn't get it. But now that I'm 23, I can now get my hands on some of that sweet liquor!"

Tracer was speechless. Scout had rejected her offer to stay with her and Emily. She didn't understand it. She thought that she and her girlfriend and made every possible argument they needed to convince him to stay, and yet here he was, saying he was leaving Overwatch AND moving back to the States, and on the West Coast, about as far away from her and Emily as he could possibly be. And neither she nor Emily had any friends or relatives who lived in Oregon, so she wouldn't even have an excuse to come out and visit him once in a while.

Emily noticed the shock that Tracer was feeling. She walked over to her, hugged her, and gave her a kiss on the lips, but Tracer didn't kiss back. She was still stunned by this new revelation from Scout. _What…Why is he doing this? Why is choosing the move all the way out to the States? Didn't I make it clear to him that I love him? Couldn't he tell that I want him to stay with me?_ She was confused, and very sad to hear this. She needed answers. She couldn't just let him walk out on her like that. There were things that she needed to know. There were so many whats, whys, and hows running through her head that she needed to get cleared up.

"Why do you want to leave?" Winston asked him.

"Look, buddy. I've been here for a while now, and I've come to realize that the hero life isn't for me. I'm not a hero. I haven't done anything heroic at all. Plus, I sorta like to feel wanted by people. I've been around this town lately, and I can see that the people here hate our guts. They think that this place is nothin' but a bunch of criminals whose only goal is to kill and destroy. I hear they're even trying to shut us down.

So, I'm putting down my weapons to become a rock star. Maybe then people will wanna see me."

"What are you talking about, boy?" Winston asked. "We're a well-respected organization determined to keep the peace on earth. The people love us for who we are and they will always-"

"He does have a point," Hanzo said, with a snarl on his face. Everyone turned to look at him. The looks on their faces said something like, _Did Hanzo just grow a second head?_ "I never thought I would say this, and believe me, every molecule in my body wants to die as I say it, but I'm siding with him on this one."

"I second that, brother," Genji called out. "I am growing very displeased at how little respect Overwatch is getting. Me and my brother take pride in our true warrior status. And people don't respect it. They just throw garbage at us and say that the world would be a better place if we just fucked off. I am getting sick of this! The only praise I've ever gotten is from my childhood friend, Yoko, and her boyfriend, John! Everyone else that's ever seen me thinks I'm just some evil cyborg that wants to destroy the earth, the very opposite of what we stand for! I will not stand for this!"

"And our reputation has suffered greatly ever since you recruited those _freaks_ , gorilla," Hanzo spat out, referring to the RED Team. "The boy is right. They're not heroes. They're just freaks. And that's the same with her-" he pointed in disgust at Widowmaker. "-And _him_ ," he snarled at Reaper. "Ever since you chose to take these losers under our wing, our reputation has suffered. These morons are the reason why people are losing their trust in us. Them and their ultra-violent forms of fighting. There's no ethics. No morals. No standards. No nothing. They just do whatever the fuck they please. No one in their right mind would call them heroes! They're just a bunch of brainless morons!"

"Hanzo, shut your cakehole!" Winston shouted at him. "Hanzo, if I want your input on this, then I'll tell you to just write it down and leave it somewhere on my desk where I can't find it!"

Hanzo looked a little surprised, but only a little. "This is exactly what I'd expect you to say. You're no better than these guys! You're a lazy slob of an Overwatch official! All you do is eat bananas and sign whatever crap the ice girl shoves in your face! You have no honor! No more than any of these slimeballs!" The people there looked surprised. No one had ever bad-mouthed Winston before. They thought that the arguing between Winston and the Japanese brothers would stop eventually, but now it only looked like it was going to get worse. There was no denying it. A rift was beginning to form in the Overwatch. Its' own members were now fighting amongst each other.

"Hey buddy," Engie said to him. "Did we ever come here saying that we were a group of avengers and that you just _had_ to hire us?" There was a silence. "That's right. We didn't. We were just mercenaries being paid to wreck whatever our administrator called our enemies. And that's exactly what your gorilla here did to us. We only came because we were being offered more dough than our current organization was giving us.

Which, now that I think about it, _where is that money that was promised?_ " Engie yelled at Winston.

" _Ja_ ," said Medic. "Ve have only been paid about zhirty percent of vhat vas promised to us. Vhere is ze rest? Did you trick us into coming here?"

"No! Of course not!" Winston defended himself. "It's just…taking a little…while to get over here…" But even he sounded unsure of himself.

"You ripped us off," Sniper growled, with a look of betrayal on his face. "There's no money anywhere."

"You are the most dishonorable ape I have ever met!" Soldier shouted. "And the only one, too."

"Well, we're here to tell you something, buddy," Engie continued. "You better have that money ready for us by tomorrow morning or that boy isn't the one quitting this dump. Come on, fellas. Let's go out for a drink." And with that, Engie and the rest of the RED Team (including Scout), walked out of Lena and Emily's house to a local bar, except for Scout. He was going back to his apartment.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?!" Winston shouted. "I haven't said that you can-" But it was too late. The RED Team had already walked out. Winston glared at the Japanese brothers and growled. "Thanks a lot, guys. We may have just lost our driving force that gave us an edge against Talon."

"Good riddance," Genji snarled. "The sooner they fuck off, the better. We have an image that we need to protect."

"Oh, forget about our image!" Winston shouted at him. "We can afford to take some flak! We can't afford to give up our force that's been giving us victories against the most dangerous criminal organization in the world!"

"Yeah!" Junkrat shouted at them. "And where the bloody hell am I going to find the best buds to play cards and drink with?!"

"Yeah," McCree and Reinhardt agreed.

"Oh, drinking and gambling, that's all you dimwits ever think about!" Pharah shouted at them. "You were respectable soldiers before they came here! You never did anything risky or stupid! You were trusted Overwatch heroes! Once they arrived, they corrupted you guys and turned you into criminals and scoundrels!"

"That's not true, Pharah!" Winston said. "They may wake up some mornings with hangovers, but they still have the guts and power that are required to serve on this team! Don't you call my boys criminals and scoundrels!"

Pharah glared at Winston. " _Your_ boys?! Need I remind you that we deliberately made Overwatch so that it had an even number of men and women soldiers, so that terms like "Mah Boi" could not be used here?! Don't you dare say that our troops are 'your boys.'"

"I don't care! The point I'm trying to make here is that those RED troops, mentally insane as they are, have helped us in several ways!"

"And hurt us in even more!" Hanzo and Genji stood behind Pharah, both with agreeing looks.

Winston rolled his eyes. "Pharah, I'm not going to go through this with you again. I'm leaving before this gets any uglier." And he did.

Pharah huffed. She threw her hands up in a "whatever" motion, and stormed out of the house behind Winston.

At this point, Tracer was regaining her senses, to Emily's relief. "Are you all right, sweetie?" Emily asked her.

"…Huh? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm all right, but…Jeremy…he's…not staying with us…" She was beginning to tear up. "Why? Why won't he stay? Was it…was it something I did? Something I might have said to him? I…I can't believe he's just…going…Doesn't he love me? Didn't I make every argument on why he should stay? Where did I go wrong?"

D. Va and Widowmaker were also looked shocked. D. Va in particular looked saddened by this. The fact that he was moving so far away from not only Lena, but her as well, had to have meant that she didn't mean anything to him. Why? She had tried so hard to make him love her, and now he just rejected her love. He was moving to a place that she didn't know and had no way of connecting to. D. Va was hurt. She was crying now because her love was leaving her.

Both Tracer and Emily agreed that there was more to this. And they had to find out what.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Winston was inside the Overwatch hovercraft. He was preparing it for the journey back to Gibraltar, which they would embark on the following morning. He was still feeling very ill-tempered following the fight that he just had with Hanzo.

"What a pompous buffoon," he said to himself. "Honor this and honor that. Doesn't ever think of anything else? Doesn't realize that some things are just more important than honor?" But he had to admit that he and his brother did have a point when it came to Overwatch's public image. It was hard to argue otherwise when it was a known fact amongst the group that their own government was trying to declare them a criminal gang, which would give them clearance to arrest all of them. This of course would persuade some members to quit the group to avoid arrests and lawsuits. But then what would become of Overwatch? Hell, what's becoming of Overwatch right now?

Winston sighed. "We've been at each other's throats forever now. I've been arguing with those guys since we recruited the mercs, and now it just seems to be getting worse. We're now trading insults with each other. And friction looks like it's forming between them and some others, like Junkrat and Reinhardt. As much as it scares me, it may look like we're heading towards civil war. I hope I can end this before it starts."

He was right. A civil war at this point would be very bad, given that they just recruited former Blackwatch and Talon agents, and he was afraid that they might revert to their old ways and turn against them again. What's more, the conflict with Talon had still not been resolved. And he knew that Talon would take advantage of a team of heroes that were at odds with each other. He had to stop this conflict before it got worse.

But that would turn out to be a real challenge for him. Junkrat came into the pilot's cabin at that moment and saw Winston there, putting things into his computers. "What do you want, Jamie?"

"For the hundredth time, mate, don't call me Jamie," an irritated Junkrat said. "I came in here to ask you if you were really going to drop those guys from our team."

"You mean their Engineer, Demolitions expert, and sniper?"

"Yeah, mate. I've never had such a great friend in a fellow Aussie before! And that Scotsman really showed me some cool things to do with my explosives! Did you know he puts premium petrol in some of his powerful grenades? I'm not kiddin', he does. He also likes puttin' chili powder in some bombs as well."

"But you just like having a gambling partner."

"Well, not _just_ that. Sure, it does give me and Reinny and High Noon some friends to play and throw chips on the table with, but they're a bunch of really great pals. I've had some of the best games I've ever played with 'em. Please don't let 'em go."

Winston patted his back. "I'll try, but I can't stop them from leaving if they decide to do so."

"Thanks, man," Reinhardt said, just now walking in. "We just want you to know that even though it sounds like all of us hate those guys, we don't. Those Japanese boys are just being assholes. But they were born and raised that way, so what can you do?"

Junkrat fist-bumped him. "Thanks, mate. Always knew you were on my side."

"No problem, man." And they walked out of the ship. "Hey, while we're waiting to leave, there's a Looney Tunes marathon on the tube tonight. Wanna watch it?"

"Nah. I don't like animated characters. I've never found them believable."

Reinhardt gave him a weird look and said, "I don't believe you!"

When they were gone, Winston resumed his duties. He took comfort in what Reinhardt just said. At least not everyone on Overwatch hated his decision to hire the mercs.

But that good feeling didn't last long. Pharah came into the cockpit. She looked like she wanted to yell at Winston some more, but that she was trying to hold it in some more.

All she said to him was, "Is the ship ready for travel yet?"

A little taken aback, but grateful for talking about something else, Winston said, "Nearly. I just have to fuel it up and do a few other things to it."

"Oh." She turned away, but she didn't leave. After a pause, she then said, "Have those mercenaries come back from their…" She paused and continued in disgust, "…drink…yet?"

Winston stared at her. "No," he said bluntly.

"Well, we should just tell them to never come back here."

"And here we go again. How many more times must I go through this with you, Pharah?! I hired them because I believed they could give us a strong push against Talon. And I was right to believe that."

"But look what it's doing to the Overwatch! We're losing our standards and morals! They have no-"

"Honor, honor, honor! I know! I swear, I've heard that word more times in the past hour than in the entirety of _Mulan_! When will you and your Japanese sidekicks lay off on your stupid honor and realize that they're on the same side as us!"

"Lay off the ho- How could you say such a thing?! I come from a long line of family soldiers! I have their symbols on my shoulders!"

"And I've got dimples on my butt! None of that means anything here!

Pharah, in case you and your Japanese boys haven't been watching the news lately, there's a crisis going on in the world today! We can't afford to be so 'honorable' that we lose battles and morale! And these days, keeping morale high in this group sometimes takes precedence over traditions!"

" _Are you saying that honor has no place on the battlefield?!_ "

"YES, WHEN THE HEAT IS ON!"

Pharah was speechless. Very much like what Scout said at dinner just hours ago, she couldn't believe that Winston was saying the words that he just said. All she did, though, was scrunch up and say to him in a low voice, "We are not finished talking yet." And she left.

Winston knew she was right. This was going to get ugly before it was over.

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Scout went back to his apartment. Overwatch would be heading back to Gibraltar the following morning, so he began packing up. He was going to return to Watchpoint with them, but only to gather the remainder of his property, namely his additional clothes, books, computer, instruments, and musical gear, among other things. After one day of packing up, two days at most, he would arrange for a flight to Portland. He would only leave with a few bags at first, followed by an overnight delivery of the rest of his things, and a delivery of his now-electric Impala shortly after.

He already started looking into an apartment, and was close to securing one. He had found a complex in the Pearl District, specifically on Flanders Street. It seemed like a nice little spot to settle down in. It was one of the less busy parts of Downtown Portland, so it was reasonable for him to expect less traffic. It took a little bit of wrangling to do, but Scout was able to get the apartment that he wanted. He had narrowly outbid some guy in Spokane, Washington for it.

Scout noticed that Flanders Street was just a few blocks away from Burnside Road. And not far from there was Terwilliger Boulevard. It couldn't just be a mere coincidence that all these streets share their names with _Simpsons_ characters, right?

As he was thinking aloud, he heard a knock on his front door. He groaned. It was probably Lena or Hana coming over here demanding an explanation out of him for his sudden remark at Lena's house.

Well, he was half-correct. Someone did want to know what he was thinking when he said he was quitting Overwatch, but it wasn't Lena or Hana. It was Mei.

"So, you're getting ready to leave, huh?"

"Well…yeah. In every possible sense of the word, in fact. I'm packing up to head back to Watchpoint, and once I'm there, I'm gonna pack up the rest of my stuff and pounce to Portland."

"And not even think about what you're doing to Lena?"

Scout looked irritated. "Of course I'm thinking about Lena. That's why I'm doing this."

"Doing _this?!_ " Mei shouted in disgust. "You're just leaving her to move to America and do _this?!_ " She pointed to the bass guitar that he played with the Rolling Stones. They let him keep it as a gift. "You're quitting Overwatch, you're leaving your position as a hero to do this?! It's only rock and roll!"

"Yeah, but I like it!" Mei rolled her eyes. "Listen here, Ms. Freeze. Do you know what it's like to be a counterculture kid? I was born in the fifties, alright?" He paused, realizing what year he really was in. "1950's," he corrected himself. "I was born in the 1950s and grew up in the '60s, alright? In those days, music was a damn big deal, you know? Tom Jones was the one I admired. His song "It's Not Unusual" really applies to my life, and especially my time in Teufort with the other guys. The Rolling Stones, who you saw me play with just hours ago, they were dominating the radio with "Satisfaction" and "Paint it Black."

And let's not forget about The Beatles! They were _everywhere!_ They were bigger than Jesus! Every kid who ever touched a guitar in those days did it to follow in their footsteps! I spent so much time runnin' and bustin' BLU Team heads that I never realized what my true purpose in life is! It's doing this! I shoulda realized when I noticed I could play instruments so friggin flawlessly! I shoulda just quit the RED Team right then and become the next big thing! And now that I have had my revelation with the Stones, I'm gonna get out there and finally do it! Nothing can stop me now!"

But Mei was not amused. All she cared about was that Scout was leaving Lena and her girlfriend, right after they had offered to take him in and love and care for him, even if they couldn't do it romantically.

"Oh fine," she said, angry. "And maybe if you and your band ever decide to tour through England, you may think of her enough that you may buy some special VIP passes for her and Emily."

Scout was now angry at her. "You think I don't care about her? You think I'm just leaving her to be a mega rock star?"

"Well, that's what it looks like! And I can't see it as anything but that!"

Scout dropped all his cockiness now and stared at her seriously. "You listen to me and you listen good. I am not leaving her because I don't care about her. I'm leaving her because I _do_ care about her!

Do you know what it's like, seeing her and Emily kiss, full on the lips, every single friggin' day, knowing that I had no chance to be in Emily's position? Knowing that I was in love with her, and no matter how nice I was to her, I couldn't have improved my odds because she doesn't love men? I felt very jealous seeing that. I still do.

But you know what? I love her very much. And because of that, I'm giving her and her girlfriend the space and respect they deserve. I know that I love Lena because I want her to spend the rest of her life with the person that she loves, even if it's not me! I'm leaving to avoid letting my jealousy get the best of me! I'm leaving so that I don't ruin the good thing they have going, which would give them both every right to hate me! And I don't like people hating me!

And yeah, I know she loves me, even if she doesn't wanna screw me. I know this is gonna break her heart and make her sad. I remember when I first tried to leave her. I had a gun pointed at my head, and she dropped whatever she was doing at that time to stop me from wasting myself. I can tell she cares about me. But if I stay, all I will do is make life more difficult and miserable for both of us! So I'm doing this for her, not just for me! And I know it really sucks, but there's nothing else I can do!"

Mei just stared at him. She now understood more about his situation. He thought he was doing what was best for Lena, as well as him, but she still felt like he wasn't doing enough. "Did you ask Lena how _she_ feels about it? I don't think it's your place to decide for Lena what's best for her and what's not. I think you need to get her opinion on this matter."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But all she says is that staying is the best option for me. You think I'm not listening to where she's coming from? She's not listening to where _I'm_ coming from! All she says to me is that I should stay and that going on a journey of self-healing can only be done with her and Emily to guide me!

I love her very much, but she doesn't get it. She doesn't know how I feel. I have demons that I need to shoot in the face with my scattergun. And I have to do it alone. It's time for me to move on."

"So that's it?" Mei asked, furious. "Your final word on this matter is no?"

"Either that, or good-bye! It's multiple choice."

Mei was fucking pissed. She said no more and just stormed off.

Scout just turned back to his bedroom. He needed to finish packing to prepare for the morning. As he looked out from his patio, he noticed Lena and Emily were kissing each other again. _She? There it goes again. They don't get it! If I could have my way, it would be me instead of Emily doing that to Lena. And I would be an amazing boyfriend. I would never cheat on her, I would never lie to her, I would always remain faithful and treat her like the most important person in the world!_

 _And that's what my problem is. Knowing that I tried so hard to be the perfect boyfriend, and I still failed._ Scout broke down in tears. He was upset, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Once he settled in Oregon, he would never see the two of them kissing again.

But then again, he would never see them again. So it came as a double-edged sword.

He knew that he would miss them, but he doubted that he would feel as bad about it as he was feeling jealous right now.

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When Scout woke up the next morning, he knew that it wasn't due to Lena or any sort of alarm. He just woke up and just the right time. He took a quick shower, got dressed, and carried his two suitcases towards the front door.

Before he left, however, he would not forget to prepare himself a quick breakfast. He grabbed a couple pieces of bread and popped them into the toaster. At the same time, he got a pot of coffee started.

Ah, good old caffeine. That was his middle name. Actually, his middle name was Forrest, but anyone would guess caffeine before Forrest.

While those two things were busy being made, he took another look out from his balcony towards the house. Once again, Lena and Emily were standing on the back porch, about to give each other another big kiss, but this time, it looked very sad. Scout could understand. Lena was about to leave to go back to Gibraltar, while Emily was staying behind at their house.

At first, both he and Lena had doubts about leaving Emily alone in her house, since Blackwatch agents could come back for an encore. But Engie reassured them that wouldn't happen. Not with his automatic sentry guns guarding the place. And with the help of Symmetra, he reprogrammed their tracking systems, which were used to detect BLU team members, to detect and shoot at Blackwatch members, should they ever try to create more chaos around their place.

After Scout finished his breakfast, he picked up his luggage and hurried over to the girls' house. Since this would be the last time he would ever see Emily, he decided that he owed her a proper goodbye. And maybe an explanation for everything.

Once he got to the house, he knocked on the front door. Everything was still a little bit scratched and dented from the fighting that had happened there earlier.

As the front door opened, he saw Lena standing there. Once she knew who it was, she shouted, "JEREMY!" and hugged him as tight as she could. She was crying into his shoulder now, mirroring the same thing that happened in Guitar Center when he was crying on hers.

"Lena, I-"

"Please! Why are leaving me? Why are you leaving us?! PLEASE TALK TO ME! I NEED TO KNOW! Was it something I said? Something I did? Did I not do enough to make you feel welcome here? PLEASE SPEAK TO ME!"

"I will later, Lena. But first, I just wanted to come by to say goodbye to Emily."

Tracer sniffled. "Oh, of course. Let's go back and meet her."

They walked back to the backyard. They found Emily standing there. "Hello, Jer," she said, smiling sadly.

"Hi. I, uh…just wanted to say goodbye. I'm leaving soon, not just here, but also…"

"Yeah, I heard. But why? Lena and I both want you to stay. We arranged everything so perfectly, including where you would stay. Why don't you want to take our offer? Is there something we should have done and didn't?"

"No, it's nothing that's your fault. It's…" And he sat down and told the two girls everything that he had told Mei earlier. Including his newly realized dream of being a rock star, how much music meant to him, and most importantly, the jealousy he felt at seeing the two kiss and make out. As he talked, he was now feeling like they understood how he felt.

"Well, love, I wasn't alive when The Beatles were the biggest thing ever, obviously, but thanks to Symmetra, I do understand their importance to people."

"Symmetra?" Scout asked confused. "But she wasn't-"

"Yeah, you're right. She was born so many years after they had all died, in fact. But she knows people who have.

You're aware that The Beatles visited India in 1968, right love?"

"Yeah, I remember seeing headlines for that everywhere. I don't remember why they were doing it, though. I think it said something about them studying meditation or some weird crap like that."

"Yes. It might interest you to know that Symmetra's grandparents met them during their trip to India. She actually gave me a picture to show you." She held a picture which was indeed The Beatles in India. Then she pointed to a couple in the top right corner. "That's them. That's Symmetra's grandparents. She takes pride in the fact that her family personally met the biggest rock band in the world."

"But I thought she didn't rock and roll? I thought she equated it to disorder?"

"It's the _drugs_ that she equates to disorder, love," Tracer said. "Y'know, she says that every band in that time was doing drugs, and as you know, that led to accidents, overdoses, that sort of thing."

"Yeah. I remember. 1970 was not a great year. We lost Janis Joplin _and_ Jimi Hendrix. And then next year, we lost Jim Morrison and Duane Allman, and all of them were drug deaths."

"Hold on a sec, love. _Jim_ Morrison?"

"Yeah. Lead singer for The Doors. Very fucked up guy, if you ask me. Just listen some of his songs and you'll see what I mean. 'Father? Yes son? I want to kill you. Mother, I want…to…YAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!' Yes, that is actually how one of his songs goes."

Tracer stared at Emily, who stared back at her. "Nah," Tracer said, shaking her head. "Must just be a coincidence."

"What is?" Scout asked.

"Never mind, it's not important."

"What is important is that now I feel like we understand how you feel," Emily said.

"Really?" Scout asked, relieved that they had finally realized it.

"Yes. I can imagine myself in your spot. I love Lena so much that I would be jealous seeing her with another woman. Or even another man. Not that I have doubts in our relationship, but I now get what you mean. Seeing Lena with someone else would make me green. And you're not getting much sleep, either, because of this. I can tell." She noticed the wrinkles under his eyes.

"Damn. I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"But…" Emily said with misty eyes, "We are gonna miss you, love. I wish it could have worked out between us. You really are the first man who's made a difference in either of our lives, and we'll always love you because of that." She hugged Scout, who hugged her back. "And since you're gonna be leaving us, I might as well give you this." She gave Scout a quick kiss on his cheek.

Scout was touched by this. "Thank…Thank you. That…really means a lot. It feels great to know that I've finally made a difference to a lady's life."

Emily smiled sadly. "You have. And we'll miss you very much. We hope we'll see you again someday."

"I hope so, too. But until then, goodbye, and I hope nothing but the best for you and Lena." And after another kiss on the cheek, Scout walked back through the house and out the front door, towards the Overwatch aircraft.

Tracer stayed behind a little longer, probably to say goodbye to Emily. No doubt this would be more emotional for both of them than when they were saying goodbye to him. He was glad that he boogied out of there before he saw them kiss each other full on the lips, which he knew they were going to do again.

He felt like he had made the right decision, but of course, he had wished that he wasn't saying goodbye to Emily for the last time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the Overwatch, with the RED Team, were aboard their ship, flying back to Watchpoint. There was a lot of tension on the ship. Scout could tell that the RED Team had still not been given the money that Winston had promised them, and that they would be quitting the group as soon as they got back.

No one said a word during the trip home. RED was still pissed at the Overwatch for scamming them, and select members of the Overwatch were glad that they were finally leaving, while others, who wanted them to stay, were angry at the ones who wanted them out. It became obvious to Scout that severe friction was going on in the group right now. Hopefully he would be gone before it all boiled over. Only Medic and Mercy seemed to still be on good terms with each other, but both of them looked sad, knowing that the German was going to be leaving the group, and ending his budding relationship with the Swiss woman, even though he didn't want to. But he knew that he had to because of the situation they would soon be in.

He sat in a corner with Tracer, D. Va, and Widowmaker. It was clear that the two of them hadn't slept much that night. Both had bags under their bright, red eyes. Scout decided that the least he could do was let them tag along with him to the airport, where they could give him a proper send-off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sniper, Engie, and Demoman were packing up their things in the bunker that they were staying in. Each of them were making their plans on what they would do after leaving the Overwatch.

"Well, I'm goin' back to Texas, fellas. What are you guys plannin'?"

"Back to the Highlands fer me, laddie!"

"Aw, I'm gonna see if that gorilla will let me use his portal to go back to our time. The future is just too weird for me."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that, too," Engie said. "I'm surprised the boy is stayin' here. I woulda thought he'd want to move back with us." And that moment, they were interrupted. Junkrat, Reinhardt, Lucio, and McCree came into the room, looking very dismal.

"We, uh, we all pitched in and we got you guys this little going-away thing," Reinhardt said. Then he and the other three handed them each a jacket with a graphic on them that said, " _Thanks for 'watching over' our money!_ " and each got a six pack of beer, except for Demoman, who got a box of DeGroot Keep Ale. "I just thought you might take comfort in knowing that your family's booze is still being made today," Lucio said.

Demoman beamed in happiness. "Aw, thanks, lad! I was worried it woulnae be made any more!"

Engineer shook McCree's hand. "Don't worry, partner. We'll ride those wild horses someday."

All McCree said was, "I know we will."

"Thanks for making our lives so fun," Reinhardt said. "This place is gonna be a lot sadder without you guys causing trouble for the Japan boys."

Everyone just laughed at that, but then the laughter quickly faded away as the three RED mercs were making their next trips to their cars with their weapons, tools, and other things they would leave with.

"Boy, this is depressin'," Lucio said.

"Hey, I know what would cheer us up," Junkrat said. "Poker!"

"YEEEEAAAAAAH!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Scout was packing his things up in his room. By this time, 7G was almost empty. It didn't look like one young man's bedroom/practice room anymore. The posters were taken down, the closet was empty, the garbage can filled with empty cans and bottles was full, and boxes were lying everywhere. Scout even took down the soundproof walls that he set up there. He knew he would need them for his new apartment.

He was busy packing his guitars in their respective cases when just then, Spy came into his room.

"Hey dad," Scout said.

"Hello, son."

"So…you're leaving too?"

"Yes. But I am going to stay a little bit longer. I need to speak with the gorilla about using his teleporter to take me back to the '70s. I've decided that now I am going to be the husband and father that I should have been."

Scout was surprised, and a little pleased to hear this. "So, you're goin' back to live with ma?"

"No." Spy said bluntly. "I am going back to bring her and your brothers here to the future."

Scout was surprised to hear this. He didn't expect it at all. "Why?"

"Because in this time, I don't have to worry about gangs and the mafia coming after me, her, or you guys. So instead of continuing to live a life of running and hiding and leaving all of you behind, I am going to start over and live in a time where I can be a loving husband and father."

Scout was very happy to hear this. It was very late in his life, but maybe now he could start a new relationship with his father. He felt better when Spy handed him a little slip of paper with a phone number on it. "That's mine. I knew I could start being a father now by at least giving you a way to reach out to me when you need someone to speak to."

"Thanks, dad," Scout said, with tears of happiness in his eyes. Then he walked forward and gave his father a hug. Spy was happy that his son was now warming up to him. Even he started crying now. But just like Scout, it was because he was happy.

"Oh!" Scout said. "And here is the address for my new apartment. Maybe you could drop by for a visit sometime. I'd love to have you."

"Thank you very much, son. Now just so that you know, I am planning on moving back to France with _mon petite chou-fleur_. I do not know exactly where, but I will let you know when we find a place to live."

"Thanks, dad. For everything, including coming out with the truth, which I know wasn't easy for you."

"No it wasn't." Spy rubbed the sore spot on his jaw that still remained after his scuffle with Tracer. "Do you want me to help carry your boxes for you?"

"That would be nice. I could use some help here, and I don't want to ask Tracer to lift these heavy things. It's not that I don't think she could, it's just that I don't want to make a lady to my work for me."

Spy grinned. "You are learning well, my son. Keep this up, and you will find someone who will make you an un-virgin." He laughed at that.

"Har-Har-Har," Scout said sarcastically.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, Scout was loaded up. His car, now fully electric thanks to Symmetra, had been attached to a trailer that Scout had bought just before they left for London. The trailer was filled with boxes of his personal belongings. Some had to be put in the trunk, and his desk had to be wired on the roof of the car. Scout took extra care in doing this, as he didn't want to scratch either of them.

Spy was standing in front of the car. "Travel safe, son."

"Thanks, dad. I know I will. I won't let anything happen. No one's gonna fly my plane into a building. Not if I have something to say about it."

Spy chuckled. "That's my boy."

"Dad?" Spy walked over to the driver's window. "This isn't goodbye. I know we'll see each other again."

"I know we will, too." And he shook his son's hand.

"I'll call you when I get there," he said. But before he could put the transmission into forward, he heard a couple voices shouting, "WAIT!" Jeremy! Don't go without us!"

Looking in his rearview mirror, Scout noticed Tracer and D. Va running towards his car. Both had taken off their Overwatch armor and were now wearing their normal civilian clothes. Tracer, of course, still had her accelerator on her chest to avoid any more time travelling accidents after the one that she already had.

"We want to see you off properly," D. Va, her eyes filled with tears.

"We can't just let you go like this. We have to be with you until the end," Tracer said.

Scout decided that he owed it to both of them. "OK, get in," he said, opening the locks on his doors.

As the girls got in the car, Spy chuckled. He decided not to tease Scout this time. He knew that this was serious and it needed to be treated that way. "See you when I see you!" He said.

"Bye dad!" Then Scout turned the ignition into forward, and they were off to the airport.

As Scout left the tunnel leading to Symmetra's workshop, he realized that he was leaving Watchpoint for the last time. A small tear came from his eye as he saw it moving further away from his rearview mirror. He was sad to leave behind every new friend that he made, but he thought he was doing what he should be doing.

To his surprise, Hana flipped on the radio and put one of his Rolling Stones CDs into the slot. Scout never thought that Hana Song would voluntarily play rock and roll. She knew that he was surprised to see this, so she said, "I'm not gonna be able to have these nice drives with you anymore, Jeremy, so I just want to get one last bit of everything before you go," she said, sniffling.

Touched, Scout didn't argue or even question her motives. He was going to miss her, too, so he decided to just sit back and let the moment play out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two hours later, the gang arrived at the airport. As Scout had a lot of luggage to take with him, he had some places he needed to go to first. He needed to stop by the cargo department to arrange for his many boxes, bags, guitar cases, and furniture to be flown in to his Portland apartment. Then, he had to arrange for his car and trailer to get shipped overseas as well. It was very stressful to fill out all that paperwork and keep spending money for his package he needed delivered, even though he was already a self-made millionaire. But he was planning on using his vast wealth on something else. So this might set him back a little bit on his plans.

Finally, he was all checked out. He drove his car up to parking garage, where the airport staff assured him that they would take care of everything else. He stopped the car, turned the ignition off, and said, "Don't worry, baby. I won't let them hurt you. They'll get bonked in the head if they do."

D. Va and Tracer found it unusual, and a little creepy, that Scout would talk to his own car in such a manner, but he said that everyone in the '60s and '70s treated cars with respect, as if they were their own girlfriends. This made Tracer sad. She didn't like being reminded that Scout was lonely and that he looked at inanimate objects as his best friends.

"Do you want us to help carry your bags, love?" She asked.

"Um…sure. That would be nice."

Hana and Lena grabbed a suitcase each and walked over towards the baggage check-in stand. The lines were long, which the girls liked. It meant more time with Scout, who would soon be leaving them for good. They tried to talk about some happy things with him.

"Remember when we went to Five Guys and we threw peanuts in each others' mouths?" Hana asked, teary-eyed, but trying to sound happy. "And then you ate a hot jalapeno and I had to dump Sprite down your throat?"

Scout chuckled. "Yes, I remember that."

"And remember when we went to that guitar store and you were surprised to see me buying a synthesizer? You should have seen the look on your face!" She laughed hard. Scout laughed, too. Now he realized just what a great person Hana Song was. He was now developing feelings for her. Maybe Lena was right. Maybe they could have hooked up and become a cute couple. But it didn't matter now. Scout had made his choice. He was leaving her behind, but he felt a guilty for making her feel sad about it.

Finally, Scout's bags were checked in and heading to the baggage terminal. He took a quick check at the flight schedule, and saw that his flight to Portland was on time: Departing in just an hour. He and the girls were now heading to their final destination: The gate. From this point on, only travelers would pass through. Non-travelers, like Tracer and D. Va, could not go past this point.

This was it. This was the last time they would see Jeremy Scott, also known as Scout. If they had any last words for him, now was the time to say them. But they didn't just have last words for him. They had a last request.

"Jeremy?" Tracer asked him. "Did you get the snacks and drinks that you'll need for your flight?"

"I have to get those on the other side of the gate, remember? I can't bring any outside food or drink past the gate. But yes, I was going to grab some snacks before I left."

"Could you at least get something to drink here? I know you can't take it with you, but please buy something and stay for a little longer!"

"Well…"

" _Please?!_ This will be the last time we can have a nice drink and talk together!" Tracer begged him.

"Well, alright. I can get some snacks and eat them now," he said sadly. He didn't want to ruin his appetite, especially when he knew of the snacks he would be served on the plane (Little did he know…), but since he was leaving two girls that he meant a lot to, he knew he owed them one last special time together.

"Thank you!" Hana cried. Tracer echoed a similar statement.

Scout got a Dr. Pepper and some pretzel M&Ms. These were new to him. They didn't exist in the 1970's, but he liked the originals, and he liked pretzels, so these must taste pretty good, he thought. Tracer just got a cup of coffee, while Hana bought a Mountain Dew and a bag of Doritos. It was a very bittersweet moment for them. As they ate and drank, they continued to reminisce about the time that they spent with him. This made Scout even more upset to leave them, but he still thought he was making the right move by leaving.

Finally, with half an hour until the flight to Portland took off, Scout knew it was time to make his leave. Now Tracer and D. Va said their final goodbyes to him.

"Jeremy," Tracer said, sobbing, "This was the happiest time of my life, and you are a reason for that. No one besides Emily has made me feel so loved and wanted."

Scout was now crying himself. "Thanks for everything, Lena. You have showed me how much I really mean to people. And I never thanked you properly for saving me from killing myself, so thanks for that. I now know how stupid that was of me to even think about doing that."

Lena cried even harder. In fact, she was sobbing into his shoulder. "It makes me feel so sad that no one will be there to look after you. I wish I could still do it."

"I know, I know. I still feel weak and insecure at times, but I know that this is a journey of healing that I must do alone."

"You'll never be alone," she said. "Not with this." She handed him a little slip of paper. "My number. If you ever feel like no one cares about you, text this number. I may not respond back right away, but I promise you that will sooner or later."

"Thanks, Lena. Do you mind if I call or text you just to talk?"

"Of course. If you ever feel _anything_ at all, if you want to speak to me about anything, please do. I promise I will be there for you.

Just remember, even if it doesn't feel like it, there's people who love you. There's me, there's Hana, and there's Emily. So stay strong. Do it for us. Don't you dare clock out early."

"I won't, Lena. I promise."

Then Tracer leaned forward and gave him a big kiss on the lips. Scout was surprised. He never thought that Tracer would do give him a kiss like this, but he went ahead and kissed her back just because he figured it was what she wanted. After what seemed like an eternity, they let go. "I know I shouldn't have done that," Tracer said, blushing, "I'm only supposed to do that with my girlfriend, but since this is it, and I'll never get to see you again, I knew that it was now or never. And I just want you to leave knowing how much I love you," she broke down crying.

Next it was Hana's turn. "Jeremy, I have a confession to make. I-"

"Wanted to be my girlfriend?" Scout asked. Surprised but still crying, D. Va nodded. "I know. It was obvious."

"Was I not good enough for you?" she weeped.

"No, it's just…I didn't think we were right for each other. Even now, I still don't know. But you do mean a lot to me, Hana. You're the first girl who's ever asked to be my girlfriend. No one has ever done that before you. So because of that, I'll always have a special place for you."

Then Hana gave him a kiss. And then Lena grabbed both of them in a big group hug. "Goodbye, Jeremy," they both said. "We're both gonna miss you very much. Please keep in contact with us. We wanna from you. We hope your music career takes you somewhere."

"So do I," he said. "If I ever go on a world tour, I'll be sure to book a date for Gibraltar. And I'll give you girls VIP tickets."

They continued to hug, they didn't want to let go of him, but knowing that there was twenty minutes left until his flight departed, they finally did.

Scout took off his shoes, got scanned and patted down (to his annoyance), and was finally on the other side of the gate. He looked over the crowd of people. Tracer and D. Va were still standing there. Both were crying heavily. D. Va had taken out a tissue and used it to wipe her face and blow her nose. Crying himself, Scout put up his hand, and waved both of them goodbye, before he turned around a corner and out of their sight.

The two girls couldn't stop crying. They clung to each other for comfort, but it did little to help make them feel better. They each had a million unfinished thoughts, a sea of unsaid words. But it was all over now. Everything was said and done. Jeremy Scott had resigned from Overwatch, and left them all to live a lonely life on his in Portland, Oregon, of all places.

Still crying, the two girls walked over to a nearby bar and grill restaurant to grab a drink, hoping that it would help make them feel better. Then they both walked out of the airport and caught a bus which would take them back to Watchpoint.

 **So that's the end.**

…

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 **No, actually, it's not. It feels like a very definitive finish, but this story is not over yet. There are still a couple more chapters I would like to write.**

 **Well, now it seems like all the ships have been sunk. There's no ScoutxTracer, no ScoutxHana, and not even a MedicxMercy, that's over, too.**

 **For those of you who are no doubt wondering, there is a reason why I'm having Overwatch members fight amongst each other. Without giving too much away, I will say that in the next chapter, the tension and fighting will reach its' peak, and a very important decision will be made.**

 **Again, I'm sorry to Ilovetf2andoverwatch for making a very stupid story for Reaper, which I admit really sucks. And thank you for not unfollowing my story because of it. That really means a lot to me.**

 **I really wanted Scout's goodbye scene to be an emotional one, one that would make people cry, like some of the past chapters have. Please let me know if I've succeeded in doing that.**

 **Now, I will say that the next chapters will take some time to write, since there is a lot of story that I intend to put down in them, but I won't do much more for this story. It's not because I don't like it, it's simply because I've almost taken it as far as I can. I will have to stop at some point.**

 **But the good news is, it won't happen for a while. There's still more story I would like to write, so if any of you newcomers haven't already faved or followed this story, it's not too late to start now.**

 **So that's it for this chapter. I hope I get the next one up soon!**


	16. Chapter 16: No Direction Home

" **Are you still gonna make new fanfics after you end this one?" – iAmBecomeSnail**

 **Yes, if I can think of a good story to tell. I don't want to write fanfictions just for the sake of writing them. I want to write these stories because I have something to say.  
And I'm not just gonna stick to Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch. I have other interests and want to touch into them as well.**

" **Ayyyyyy i live in Portland. Scout might find some irritation with all the hipsters here." – Anonymous**

 **How nice to meet a fellow Portlander. And I agree on the hipsters part.**

" **Have you listened to Jeff William's "Not Fall in Love With You?'" – VivaL'Aquila**

 **No. I don't watch RWBY. I'm much more of a classic rock guy.**

" **I seriously would like to know more about Scout's life after this and Overwatch's aftermath if there is any "civil war" or anything related to that." – EpsilonChurchRVB**

 **Don't worry. You will. The civil war will be covered in this chapter, and Scout's new life will be in the next.**

Everybody who knew Lena "Tracer" Oxton knew that she was a very happy and energetic girl. She was always perky and full of life. Her constant jumping and prancing all over the place, followed by her chants of, "Cheers love! The cavalry's here!" were well-known to all who knew her. She was always very happy and optimistic and never missed a chance to get in on some action. She had no worries in her life, and a bright, happy future ahead of her.

But if you saw the way she looked tonight, you would not have guessed any of that.

Tracer was walking down a dark road in Gibraltar at night. She had her head down, her hands in her jacket pockets, and was lacking the skip that she had in her run. In fact, she wasn't running at all. She was taking slow and heavy steps down the road back to Watchpoint. The look on her face was one that people rarely saw. This wasn't the look of a bright and cheerful girl who was always in a pleasant mood. This was the look of a girl who had lost everything important to her. Her fellow Overwatch members would hardly believe that this was the same girl that took so much pride in being one of them. In fact, these days, Tracer's eyes were usually red, and she wasn't alone. D. Va also looked like she was crying whenever she was out of sight from everyone else.

The look on her face matched how she was feeling. She was miserable. She left her girlfriend back in London and her best friend just said no to their offer to stay with them in their home town to keep him company, and left them to live a rock and roll lifestyle in the United States, and in the state farthest from them, Oregon. Tracer tried her best to find some reason to go out there just to pay him a visit. Maybe she had some other friends or relatives living there. Maybe Emily did. Maybe Emily always wanted to take a trip to Rip City, but she didn't. Neither had ever been to Oregon, so neither knew what it was like. Then again, Scout had never been to Oregon either, aside from a quick trip he made in his time.

But why Oregon, of all places? If he was going to go back to the States, why not his home state of Massachusetts? What was it about Oregon that attracted him so much? He talked about the beer, but he had this dream since he was a kid, he said. There was no way he dreamed of heading to Oregon just for a pint of a freshly-brewed IPA. There had to be something else to it. But Tracer only sighed. She doubted she would ever know what it was now. He was gone, and he was not coming back to them. Slowly, sadly, silently, she walked back to Watchpoint.

She had been walking alone late at night for the past few weeks now. Ever since Scout left, she had been seen less frequently around Watchpoint, and some Overwatch members thought they knew why.

As Tracer walked through the entrance at Watchpoint, she saw the members of her team sitting around in various places, some in the lobby, some in the mess hall, others just standing around in the halls. None of them looked happy, and that made sense. Morale at Overwatch was at an all-time low, as were the relationships between its' members. Everyone stared at Tracer as she made her way up to her room, but no one had the courage to say anything. In particular, Winston and Pharah looked not only sad, but incredibly guilty over something. Pharah tried to speak to Tracer. "Lena, honey, I'm sorry about earlier, but there's nothing…" Tracer just ignored Pharah. She knew what she was going to say, and she didn't want to hear any of it. It was just going to be the same old shtick that she always heard.

Tracer went up to her quarters. As soon as she entered the room, she took off her armor and changed into some nightclothes, and then she fell on her bed and cried into her pillow. Symmetra had just walked by her quarters and saw this. It was such a sad sight to see the peppy Tracer in such a broken and depressed state. She wanted to just walk in and comfort the poor girl, but she wouldn't dare. She was afraid that she would just make things even worse. She doubted that things could possibly be any worse, but that was a theory that she would rather not test, so she just turned and walked away.

Tracer tried to sleep, but she found that she couldn't. Lately, nights for her had been sleepless and tiring, no doubt because of how she had been feeling lately. Still, she tried her hardest to get some rest. She lay on her back, on her stomach, on both her sides. She tried sleeping at the other end of the bed, and in all positions. She opened the window for some fresh air, she drank some water, she even tried sleeping on the floor to see if that yielded any different results. But no matter what she tried and how hard she tried doing it, she was still unable to get any shuteye.

After several hours of unsuccessful sleeping attempts, Tracer decided that she would talk to someone about how she was feeling. _Maybe that will help clear my head_ , she thought. However, everyone at Overwatch was already asleep by now, so she decided to speak to the one person that she could always rely on: Emily.

She turned on her computer, waited for Macintosh version 34 to take its' sweet and precious time loading, and after what seemed like an hour, she opened up her email and began writing a letter to her girlfriend.

 _Dearest Emily, it's Lena again. Well, you probably already know that because the "Sent From" bar shows my email address on it._

 _I'm sorry if I trigger your email notifications in the middle of the night and wake you up from your beauty sleep. I have trouble remembering the time differences between London and Watchpoint._

 _But that's enough of me wasting time here. Now I need to get to the point._

 _Since Jeremy left me, I have felt so sad and lonely. It's been three weeks since then, and not only have my problems not gone away, they've actually gotten worse. I feel so empty. I feel like an important part in me is missing. And it's not just you that I miss, I know that. I felt sad when I left you back in London, but I have never smiled since Jeremy left._

 _I think I even know why. When we left London, it hurt me to leave you again, but I know that it's not the end. We'll see each other again someday and have the time of our lives. I know that._

 _But Jeremy has left me, and it doesn't look like he'll ever return. When I said goodbye to him at the airport, it felt like I will never see him again. I wish I had some connection to Portland just so that I could drop by and at least say hello to him. At least then I'd know that I would see him again. At least then I wouldn't have really said goodbye when he went away._

 _I hope he's doing well. I hope he's overcome his loneliness and envy, which he says has plagued him forever. If he kills himself there, and I find out about it, I will probably never forgive myself for letting him go. Because I know I could have saved him then. I already did once._

 _I'm not the only one who feels this way. Hana has never been the same girl since. Jeremy also said no to being her boyfriend, and she has never stopped crying. She feels like she failed him and drove him away, even though he told her otherwise. Widowmaker also took it badly. A couple days after Scout left, she did, too. She didn't say goodbye to any of us, though._

(Flashback)

Winston walked into Widowmaker's quarters. He couldn't find her anywhere in Watchpoint. She had apparently taken off her tracking device, so he couldn't tell where she was. Her room was empty. It was just like what Jeremy's old room looked like after he resigned from the group. Winston knew that she had left. She said goodbye to no one, but she left two things behind: Her rifle, which she used to make so many widows with, and a note which read, " _To the Overwatch, thank you all very much for helping me. You have shown me the error of my ways. The boy says he is going on a journey of healing and recovery, and that's what I am doing. I have left to try to become a good person again. P.S., please bury my weapon in the ground. I can't shoot it anymore._

Winston sighed. Another one of theirs had left. And it was one that he tried so hard to win over and redeem. Well, at least she was now trying to redeem herself, so his scheme was only a half-failure.

(End Flashback)

Tracer sighed. She had a lot to say to her girlfriend. Her troubles had only just gotten started.

 _It's not just Jeremy leaving that's made me so blue. Overwatch has become so unbearable to be around now. For the past few weeks, it seems like a civil war has broken out within us._ _Specifically, between those of us who liked having the RED Team around, and those who didn't._

(Flashback)

It had been a few days since the RED Team departed for good. Some, like McCree and Junkrat, were depressed. They had made great friends with some of them, and now their poker nights were much less fun. Mei also missed Pyro, having grown fond of him and his antics, which seemed very childlike to most but entertaining to her, and Winston felt this was a significant setback for his Overwatch.

Whereas Pharah was glad that they were gone, and Genji and Hanzo, disgusted with their "dishonorable" fighting, felt that this was the chance that they needed to improve the public's reception of the group, which was very poor. They had been booed at every public appearance that they made, even at those which ended with the group giving Talon an ass-kicking. People only complained about their fighting and property damage, and never said anything good about them.

This resulted in some in-house fighting between those divided on the issue. Tracer chose to stay out of these fights, as Scout was the only RED Team member that she cared about. The same went for D. Va. Others, like Symmetra and Soldier 76, were too passive to take a side in this conflict.

Never did a physical fight break out, though. All the fighting between the two sides was verbal. It was limited to each side merely shouting insults at the other, some of them very childish, and giving the other the old "I'm right, you're wrong" propaganda. It was just each side shouting about how the other one was an idiot for their thinking, and that it was an insult to call yourself and Overwatch member because of it. But never did an actual fight ever happen between them.

Never until now.

"Man," Lucio said, one day in the mess hall. "This place has been so depressing lately. I miss those guys. They made this place fun to be around."

"Aw, I hear ya, mate," Junkrat said. "It was nice having someone I could really connect with hangin' round here. This place won't be the same now."

Hanzo snorted. "All you ungrateful scumbags ever think about is how much fun you could be having! Fun, fun, fun! That's all you ever think about! This is what I mean when I say that those-"

"-Dishonorable morons fucked us up," Reinhardt finished for him. "Total guess that you were about to say that. It's not like I haven't already heard it a hundred times now!"

"Yeah, man," Lucio said, staring directly into Hanzo's face. "Do us all a favor and _shut up_ about _your stupid honor! We are sick to death of hearing it!_ "

Hanzo was shocked. No one ever gets away with speaking to a Shamaida with such a condescending tone. Hanzo reached his hand up and slapped Lucio in the face, knocking him on his back.

Lucio was shocked, but even more appalled, at the idea that a fellow Overwatch member would dare strike one of their own. So was Junkrat. He stood up and shouted, "Well, Sheila, that's the way you wanna play? Well then, I'll give you one back!" He charged straight at Hanzo, but the latter easily grabbed the former and threw him against the wall. Junkrat hit the wall with a loud _crash_.

But before Hanzo could begin his millionth "honor" monologue, McCree hopped from out of nowhere and gave Hanzo a solid punch in the face. A huge gasp of shock echoed around the mess hall as the samurai collapsed backwards. Then McCree said, "For someone who claims to have the most honor and dignity out of all of us, perhaps you should consider your own dishonor at fighting with your own brothers!"

Hanzo's face was a dark red. It wasn't just from the bruise from the punch. It wasn't just the fury that was seething out of him. It also came from the blood that was leaking out of his nose. McCree had really hit him that hard. No one could believe it. Hanzo never let anyone get close enough to him that they could inflict such violence upon him.

From out of nowhere, Genji came from behind McCree and put him into a chokehold.

"Agh! Let…go…of me, you…stupid robot!" McCree shouted as he was being strangled by the cyborg samurai.

"I got him, brother, take him down!"

Hanzo got up and started to mercilessly punch McCree in just about every spot on his body: His face, his stomach, and even his groin.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" McCree shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"Serves you right," Hanzo growled, continuing to punch him. "You have just as few standards as those mercenaries that somehow got recruited for our team!"

Lucio and Junkrat watched. They decided that they weren't going to take any more of this. Neither was Reinhardt. The three of them joined in on the fight. Genji and Hanzo were outnumbered, but that didn't matter. They were powerful enough to take all four of them on at once.

Just as the two brothers were about to land the finishing blows onto the four, Winston came up and kicked the two of them away. He kicked Genji so hard, in fact, that he actually left a large dent in his armor.

Genji was furious. Nobody had ever left dents in his armor. Not his enemies, and certainly not his friends. He took this personally. "Why you-" he shouted in fury.

"Shut your oversized piehole!" Pharah shouted at him. "All of you, enough of this fighting! We've got a reputation to improve, which isn't getting by all of you acting like children!"

"He started it!" All six of them said, pointing at one another.

"I don't care! We're ending it!" Winston shouted.

"But you'd take their side in an instant," Pharah muttered.

" _What was that?_ " Winston shouted at her.

"Nothing, nothing."

They both walked away. Pharah, however, thought to herself _But you would have fought Genji and Hanzo if you had to pick a side_. Winston somehow could tell what she was thinking, but chose to simply disregard it.

However, watching the whole thing from the sidelines, Tracer, feeling very uncomfortable with seeing her fellow Overwatch members fighting each other, knew that this battle in the Overwatch was only getting started.

(Flashback Ends)

 _It didn't end there, either. This next day, Genji took his frustrations out on Reaper, and that didn't end well._

(Flashback)

"I can't believe this. That stupid gorilla thinks he can just go and ruin my armor like this. He hasn't heard the last of this. I will make him regret doing that."

Genji grumbled all the next day. He was grumbling about everything these days. He grumbled over the lack of appreciation people had for Overwatch, he grumbled about the addition of dishonorable mercenaries to the team, including Reaper and the recently departed Widowmaker, and now he even grumbled about his appearance. Finally, Reaper, tired of being spoken down to by a cyborg, spoke up.

"Hey man, it's just armor. Surely you can get it replaced or fixed, right?"

This didn't make Genji feel any better, though. "This isn't just some costume," he growled. "This is a very valuable and exquisite armor! This is the highest quality armor that exists in Japan, or anywhere else in this world! This isn't some metal sheet that can just be repaired after being damaged!"

"Oh, please. You make such a big deal out of _everything_. I wonder how this team is able to put up with you!"

"Didn't you hear what I said?!"

"Didn't you hear what _I_ said?! It's not a big deal, and I'll prove it to you!" In an instant, Reaper vanished from sight. Confused, Genji looked around, but when he turned his back, he saw Reaper standing behind him. "You can surely do something about this," Reaper said, smirking, and he blew smoke all over his armor. Genji was now pitch-black.

"HOW DARE YOU DELIBERATELY DIRTY THE ARMOR OF A SHAMAIDA!" He roared. "IT WILL TAKE FOREVER TO GET THIS OFF! AND I CAN'T USE WATER OR THIS THING WILL RUST! HANZO WAS RIGHT! YOU MERCENARIES HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE! I CAN'T BELIEVE OUR "LEADER," IF YOU CAN CALL HIM THAT, THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE YOU IN!"

The two then began to fight. It was just like the fight in the mess hall that morning. There was slapping, punching, kicking, and insults flying around at each other. And once again, it didn't stop until Winston came in and broke it up. The latter apologized to Reaper for Genji's behavior, but Reaper, with slashes and bruises all over his body, didn't want to hear it. He felt deceived. Winston told him that he would have a better life in Overwatch, but ever since he joined, it seemed like his life had only gotten worse.

"I should have known there was a catch to this," he hissed. "I always knew it. I always knew that there was something that you guys have been lying about. You told me that I was welcome here. You told me that you gave criminals and terrorists second chances, but since I joined, I have faced harassment and hate from these two freaks, and your Egyptian bitch!

I shouldn't have joined this group. I should have known THIS WHOLE THING WAS JUST GOING TO BE _SOME BULLSHIT HASSLE!_

And don't you worry," he growled at Genji. "If you don't like me being here, then you can forget that I was ever here! THE SAME GOES TO YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS FUCKING SHITHOLE!" He shouted at Winston.

"Come on, Reaps, please, don't do this…" Winston pleaded.

"Save your breath," he growled. "I'm outta here. And I'm not comin' back, so just forget that I was ever in this wretched group of 'heroes,' as you seem to call yourselves!" But before Winston could say anymore, Reaper had teleported out of Watchpoint to God-knows-where.

Winston didn't like this. "Thanks a lot, you idiot!" He snapped at Genji. "Now we've lost another one who could have become a hero."

"GOOD! I will not stand for degenerates like that hooded imposter to be on our side! They say they want to redeem themselves. PAH! A few good deeds are not enough to convince me that they're not trying to infiltrate our base and take it down from within!"

"You know what?!" Winston snapped. "I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOUR BITCHING ABOUT EVERYTHING! IF I HAVE TO HEAR THIS FROM YOU AGAIN, I SWEAR, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!"

"I dare you," Genji snarled.

Winston looked like he was about to do it. He had an angry snarl on his face, and his large ape fists were balled up. But at the last moment, he decided not to. He noticed that Tracer was standing in the room with them, and looked very anxious. Instead, he lowered his guard and walked away.

"Yeah, that's right. Back down from a fight," Genji said. "Shows how little honor you have!"

Winston wanted to just tear his ass a new one at that moment. He was fighting every urge from within to do it.

Tracer saw everything. Winston, Pharah, the Japanese boys, and just about everyone else were trying to strangle each other to death. She hated this. It was tearing her apart inside. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

(Flashback ends)

 _And just like that, Reaper left Overwatch, and just so soon after we recruited him._

 _I couldn't stand it. The people I loved working with were hating each other. Watchpoint was becoming increasingly unbearable to be around. I joined this group to be hero and fight evil in this world, but now it was as if everyone's job description had become,_ "Yell at everyone as loud as possible." _And I was right in the middle of it all. I sometimes felt like I was just being used as a punching bag. Genji and Hanzo were berating me for a long time about how I was "in love with a murderer," referring to Jeremy, of course._

 _For the next few days, I tried everything I could to get out of there before fighting resumed. I would say that my pulse pistols weren't working, ignoring Symmetra's offer to fix them. I would say that my jacket was dirty and that I needed it dry-cleaned. I would say that I needed to get buy a card for your birthday, knowing full well it wasn't going to happen for a long time._

 _I think they knew that I was lying about the problems I was saying were the reason I was leaving so often, but I always got out before they could stop me._

 _Now you're probably wondering where I would run off to when out of sight from everyone else. Believe it or not, I've been going to Guitar Center quite a bit recently. I missed practicing guitar and drums. Jeremy was such a great teacher on that. So I decided that I would now teach myself how to do it. I'm hoping that If I ever run into Jeremy again, I can amaze him with my new skills._

 _One thing he forgot to say to me, though, is how hard these people will try to sell you their products. I have been harassed by these guys for as long as I've been checking out the store, ever since I walked in._

(Flashback)

Tracer, out of her uniform and in her regular clothes, walked through the front door at Guitar Center. She had barely taken three steps into the store when an associate popped out of nowhere and said to her, "Welcome to Guitar Center! We're always happy to see people popping in here to buy our instruments! Now, you're here for a guitar, is that right?"

"Y…Yes…"

"That's awesome! There's not enough female rockers in the world today! Hopefully we can get you to turn that around! Now, what's your axe of choice?"

"Axe of choice?" Tracer asked, confused.

"You know, what's your instrument of desire? Jackson? Ibanez? Les Paul? Are do you favor the classic Strat?"

Tracer didn't know what any of this meant. "Um, I just want the…best-sounding guitar that you have…"

"Excellent choice!" He guided her over to the racks where lots of guitars were hanging up. "I would recommend you try out the Les Paul. That's the ultimate classic guitar. One of the best sounding ones when it first came out back in 1952. Still holds up very well today, over a hundred years later." He pulled one off of the rack. "Go ahead and give this a try," he said.

Tracer plugged the Les Paul into a nearby amp. She didn't remember very much. She didn't know anything about the bottom two strings on the guitar, the low E and A strings. She didn't know much about chords, either. Jeremy only taught her four: C, G7, D7, and G. She also found that she was having trouble transitioning between chords. What would seem like a simple transition from C to G sounded very sloppy when she played it. She felt a little embarrassed by her struggling with the instrument, especially when people were staring at her. And these were people were playing slick blues solos on their Stratocasters and SG's.

She blushed and said, "I'm, uh…I'm still learning…how to…play this thing," she said meekly. But everyone there was giving her very forgiving looks. They didn't appear to mind that she was new to the instrument and still learning. "It's all right," the clerk said.

"But I'm 26," Tracer said. "Isn't it a little too late for me to begin learning to play this at my old age?"

The clerk laughed. "If you think you're too old to play this, then don't forget that Mick Jagger didn't learn how to play guitar until he was your age!" This made Tracer feel a little better.

On top of that, learning to play guitar helped to take her mind off the struggles she was facing back at Overwatch. She rarely thought about it, and whenever she did, she just shrugged it off and said to herself, _At least I don't have to listen to it here._

She walked over to the music stands and picked up an instruction book on how to play guitar. She was glad. She knew she would need this if she was going to teach herself, without Jeremy.

She also decided to look around the store at some other things, such as the drum room. In her honest opinion, she preferred playing drums instead of guitar, mostly because they were easy to learn, and on top of that, she felt very sexy when playing them. One thing she didn't like, having to sit down the entire time. She knew that by doing this, she wouldn't able to show off some of that booty of hers like the guitarists of the band liked doing. But she thought that she was attracting enough controversy as it was, so she forgot about it quickly. Ultimately, she chose not to buy them, because she didn't have a car with her, and was unable to haul them back to Watchpoint. Plus, she thought she would be silenced by everyone else for causing too much of a racket, even without electricity to amplify them.

Next, she checked out the keyboard room, which was right next to the stage setup and recording equipment. Playing keyboards felt nice, but they were tricky to play. D. Va said that she had an interest in them, so Tracer decided to get an opinion from her before deciding to buy one herself.

Then, she saw the bass guitar section, notably smaller than the regular section. She thought of Emily, as she bought a bass guitar during their trip to this place with Jeremy and Hana. She wondered if she was practicing that, and if she was enjoying it. Then, she went to a small soundproof room, where the acoustic guitars were kept. And not just acoustic guitars, but other instruments that didn't require electricity, like ukuleles, banjos, mandolins, and resonator guitars. The sound of an acoustic guitar was one of the most familiar sounds to Tracer, and as such, she decided to buy both the electric Les Paul and an electroacoustic Gibson J-45.

Finally, she decided to buy the guitars and the instruction book. She decided to hold off on the amp for a while, because she really didn't need it to learn to play. Plus, she expected Pharah would yell at her to turn it off whenever she was using it, because of how much noise it would make.

"Ah, hello there, you ready to make your purchases?" The cashier told her.

"Yep, love, I'm all set."

"Are you? You don't seem to have a neck strap on you."

"Well, no…I didn't think I needed it…"

"You don't think you need it? Come on, girl, how do you expect to play that thing sitting down? No one goes to a rock concert to see people just sitting around. You've gotta stand up and shred the hell out of that thing!"

"All…all right…I'll get a neck strap…"

"Just one? For both guitars?"

"OK then, I'll get two."

"Good job. And it just so happens we have a sale on today! You can get two neck straps for the price of one!"

"Really?"

"Yep! Special offer, today only!"

"All right then." Tracer walked over to buy a couple neck straps. When she returned to the counter, but the cashier wasn't done talking yet. "Where's your amp?"

"Um, I don't need one right now…"

"Maybe not right now, but you will need one somewhere down the line! Are you a first-time visitor here?"

"No…I've been here before."

"Are you a first-time _buyer_?"

"Y…Yes…"

"Special offer, this week only! You can get your guitars, neck straps, connection cable, amplifier, and travel case, all for just 200 pounds!"

Tracer was skeptical. _Are they just making these sales up on the fly?_ She thought to herself. Nonetheless, she was very wealthy. Wealthy enough to afford a house for herself and her girlfriend, of course. She decided to invest in this. It would probably save up in the long run.

Once she got her amp, case, and cable, she thought it was finally over, but the cashier said to her, "Do you have a tuner? Like one of these?" He held up a small, clamp-on tuner. "If not, I can throw it into your deal for just 20 pounds more!"

This went on for a long time. Once Tracer was finished, she had a whole pile of gear that she was about to buy. She decided to just take it and leave before the cashier began to talk her into buying a set of stage lights, which she _definitely_ did not need right now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tracer walked up to the front window at the latest Rent-a-Truck dealership, and said to the man at the reception desk, "Cheers, love! The Cavalry needs a truck!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She drove back to Watchpoint in her rented truck, with her guitars and gear loaded up inside. She had no idea that buying a simple guitar could be such a big hassle. _Why didn't Jeremy tell me about this? Is this really normal for people buying instruments to go through this shit?_

(Flashback ends)

Tracer took a sip of coffee from her desk. She had brewed a pot of it in her room, because she was finally getting drowsy, but all of a sudden, she didn't want to sleep just now. She was writing an email to her girlfriend, and she still had plenty to say.

 _Playing guitar is actually a lot of fun. I sometimes think that I should have just pursued a career in music instead of an Overwatch pilot. We both know how well_ that _turned out._

 _All joking aside, I now seriously wonder if I should have done music instead. I did say, many times, in fact, that Overwatch was no longer any fun to be around._

 _Everyone here is been fighting everyone else for the past few weeks, and tonight, it all came to a head. A huge fight broke out in the mess hall, between the two people I trusted the most, besides you and Jeremy, of course. And now, I just cannot stand being here anymore._

(Flashback)

Dinner at the mess hall was nowhere near as peaceful as it normally was. Everyone was fighting again. As always, it was the Japanese boys vs the ragtag team of McCree, Junkrat, Lucio, and Reinhardt. Even Mercy was now coming to the latter group's aid, having fallen in love with the recently departed Medic. And now Soldier 76 was on the other side. Despite his overall indifference towards the mercenaries, he did believe that Overwatch's image was in need of vast and fast improvement. Tracer's anxiety was returning to her. She began to breathe heavily during this fight. She had a feeling that it wasn't going to be just another usual fight for them. This was going to escalate and end badly.

She wasn't alone. D. Va was also sick of the fighting and just wanted it to end. Mei felt the same way. It was even getting under the skin of Symmetra, Zarya, and Torbjörn, who had been trying their hardest to stay out of the whole conflict.

Tracer's predictions of the fight getting worse came true when Winston flipped over a table in the hall and shouted, "THAT'S ENOUGH! THIS FIGHTING HAS GONE TOO FAR NOW! GENJI! HANZO! I THOUGHT YOU TWO WERE MATURE AND HONORABLE ENOUGH TO STOP THIS PETTY FIGHTING AND REALIZE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME SIDE HERE!" But before either of them could say anything, Pharah stood up to him.

"There you go! As always, you're taking _their_ side," she said, referring to the OW boys who liked the RED Team. "Ever since they got here, they have caused us nothing but trouble! These boys are right. Our image is much worse now than it ever was before, and it's all because of those mercenaries! It's a good thing we finally got rid of them! If anyone here needs to stop fighting, it's _you_ , you stupid ape!" Everyone in the mess hall who wasn't fighting gasped at the insult that she just threw at Winston, who was clearly offended by it.

"Pharah," he said in a low voice. "I thought you knew better than to insult me like that. I thought you said that you would always trust my decisions. I thought you were older than a 13-year-old internet troll who mocks everybody. I hope I'm not as stupid as you're making me out to be."

"YOU ARE!" She screamed. "YOU ARE A MORON! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO BE THE RULER OF THIS GROUP! EVERY DECISION YOU'VE EVER MADE HAS LED US FROM BAD TO WORSE! WE MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE A CHANCE AT IMPROVING OUR REPUTATION IF YOU WOULD JUST QUIT THIS GROUP AND STOP PRETENDING TO BE A LEADER!"

Winston was furious. He never thought that Pharah would scream and insult him like that. "OK, that's it! You think I'm stupid? You think I'm worthless?"

"Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people."

"You're asking for a fight, pyramid woman."

"You want a fight?"

"I'M DOWN FOR IT!"

"GOOD! Let's…end this…now!"

"Ladies first!"

Then Winston and Pharah charged straight at each other. They ran into each other, and almost all further speech of theirs was drowned out by punches and kicking.

Tracer was hyperventilating now. Her body was shaking. She looked like she was trying her absolute hardest to avoid snapping at the two of them.

Not that they would care if she tried to stop them. Nothing could at this point, as far as they were concerned. They were too busy trying to beat the crap out of each other.

"ALL YOU EVER DO IS CRITICIZE!" More punches were being thrown. Winston even kicked Pharah in the chest. "YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT BELITTLE AND INSULT ME!"

"NO, I HAVE TRIED TO TEACH YOU HOW TO BE A LEADER! BUT YOU CHOSE TO REMAIN A BRAINLESS IDIOT!" She did a roundhouse kick and it hit Winston's head. He was hurt from it, and very angry.

"THAT'S IT! THIS IS A BATTLE TO THE DEATH!" He shouted.

"JUST THE DEATH?! I CAN GO EVEN FURTHER! BUT YOU CAN'T! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"BY THE TIME YOU GET THE BALLS TO DO, I'LL ALREADY BE PAINTING THIS BASE WITH YOUR BRAINS!"

The fighting got more violent. The sounds of bones being cracked were heard. Blood was being marked all over the walls and floors of the mess hall. Some could even swear they saw teeth flying around. At last, Pharah had pinned Winston onto the ground, and was now trying to strangle him. Winston was doing the same to her as well. Around the fighting, chanting was going on. Genji and Hanzo were cheering in favor of Pharah, while Junkrat, Reinhardt, McCree, and Lucio did the same in favor of Winston.

At last, Tracer snapped. She screamed, flipped over a table, and smashed plates and glasses over their heads. This immediately got everybody's attention, even the two fighting Overwatch heroes. They knew that Tracer could get very violent and scary when angry, so everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and looked at her in fear.

" **STOP IT!** " She cried. Both Winston and Pharah stopped trying to strangle each other. " **STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!** " Unlike before, she wasn't as angry as she was sad. Tears were coming down from her eyes and she sobbed as she screamed at everyone.

"LOOK AT US! LOOK WHAT'S BECOME OF US! WE'RE ALL AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER HERE! ALL THIS FIGHTING, AND I MIGHT AS WELL JUST GO BACK AND LIVE WITH MY PARENTS!

' _Damn it, you stoned idiot! I told you I would leave you if you didn't stop doing drugs!_ '

' _Well, I guess that makes you a liar, because I'm high as a kite, and you're still here!_ '

' _Stop it! Please stop it! You're making Lena cry!_ '

' _You know what's making Lena cry? THE FACT THAT I LET YOU NAME HER LENA!_ '

You know why I left home to become a pilot? SO I COULD GET AWAY FROM THAT FIGHTING! And I thought I had found my new family here in this group! You have all been my new family! I trusted you all! You've shown me a place where I can really belong and make a difference to people! You made me feel like I would never be in the middle of such an awful fight ever again! I LOOKED AT YOU TWO-" She pointed at Winston and Pharah, "-AS MY NEW PARENTS! YOU TWO HAVE MEANT THE WORLD TO ME! YOU TWO HAVE ALWAYS WORKED SO WELL TOGETHER! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD GET ALONG SO WELL THAT I WOULD NEVER BE FORCED TO RELIVE THOSE AWFUL MOMENTS FROM MY CHILDHOOD!" She stopped and broke down. Then she walked towards the door.

"I don't know what to do now. My family is hurting each other. I don't feel safe here anymore! Now I know how Jeremy feels when he says that nobody loves him!" She ran out of the mess hall, and out the front entrance of Watchpoint, crying loudly. This evening was too much for her.

After she left, there was a long silence. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Everyone's angry faces melted into pained ones.

Finally, after a long time of silence, McCree spoke up. He took off his hat and said, "She's right. I can't believe it's come to this. Where did we go so wrong?"

"Yeah, man," said Lucio. "We were the best of buds until recently. We never had any fights with ourselves. What happened? What changed all that? When did Overwatch's goal become trying to strangle each other to death?"

"She said we were her family," said Junkrat, with a frown on his face. "She said she trusted us more than anyone else."

"Heh. Family," Reinhardt said bitterly. "Some 'family' we are. What kind of family starts up heated fights without thinking about what it does to the kids?"

Even Hanzo and Genji bowed their heads. Genji's face was masked by his armor, but it didn't take a psychologist to tell that he was feeling upset about the whole ordeal.

"Ever since those mercenaries showed up, I have complained that they have no morals and no honor. But now I've realized something. Those guys always got along with each other. They never shouted threats at one another. We did. We declared war on our own kin, and for such selfish, petty reasons. There is no greater dishonor than that. And we have committed it. No one else is to blame but us." He pulled out his swords and threw them on the ground.

"You're right, brother," Hanzo said sadly. "Everything you just said was correct. And in our blind fighting and violence, we have scared one of our own away from us. We are not the Shimada. We are the Shame-mada." And that was indeed what the two brothers felt at that moment: Shame. The average Shimada would not lightly admit to his own faults and regrets. Genji and Hanzo, however, were not the average Shimada. Whenever they did wrong, they would openly admit to it. They even went so far as to say that starting this battle amongst themselves was one of their greatest, if not _their absolute greatest_ , regrets. They felt horrible, but they took comfort in feeling shame. It reassured them both, especially Genji, that they had not been stripped of their humanity.

But no one felt more guilt over their actions than Winston and Pharah did.

"My God. I can't believe I didn't see this," Winston said mournfully. "She looked at us as her parents. The people who would watch out for and care for her. And yet we just mirrored her own childhood angst. We forced her to relive her worst memories."

"Genji was right," Pharah said, not even trying to hide her guilt. "All the time I spent talking about honor, I didn't realize that we were on our way to committing the worst type of dishonor imaginable. We tried to hurt each other, physically. And we did hurt one of our own, mentally. And it was Lena. Lena, who had so much faith and trust in us."

Winston was tearing up. "Oh no…What have we done?"

Tears were on almost everyone's faces, and those who weren't crying still looked mournful. D. Va was crying her eyes out now. She knew Tracer was right. They deserved better treatment than that which their "family" was giving to them.

Some also looked scared as well as sad. Mercy walked up to Symmetra and asked, "Vhat's going to happen to us?"

"I…I don't know," Symmetra said sadly.

"I know what's gonna happen to us," said a voice. "It's over. It's done. Overwatch is finished. The foundation has been crumbling, and now it is about to collapse. And it's not because of an outside force. It wasn't because of terrorist groups like Talon. It wasn't because of rogue groups like Blackwatch. It wasn't because of some government bill trying to shut us down.

Overwatch killed itself."

No one could immediately tell whose voice that was. It sounded pained and scared like all the others. But they knew that voice was right. Overwatch was coming to an end, and it was all because of them. Genji was wrong. There was a greater dishonor than fighting amongst your friends and allies. Unfortunately, he knew they were guilty of that one, too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _I couldn't believe it. My own family turned on each other, and a fight to the death finally broke out. I knew that they wanted to do this for a long time, but I thought they were on good enough relations with each other that they would not possibly do it. Goes to show little I know about people._

 _I ran away. I needed help, but I didn't know who to turn to. I just hoped that sooner or later I would find someone who understand how I felt._

Tracer ran down the dark road in Gibraltar. She was still crying, and she doubted that she would stop anytime soon. She felt so many emotions at that point. Sadness, grief, loneliness, anger, fear, anxiety, betrayal, frustration, and even a little guilt. She felt so miserable. She ran to a tree and hugged it as tightly as she could. She knew the tree wouldn't hug her back, but she also knew it wouldn't push her away or try to hurt her. She felt some sticky sap drip into her hair, but for once, she didn't care about that.

She didn't know what to do now. She missed Emily, and she also missed Jeremy. She felt this way for a long time, but didn't feel safe talking to anyone at Overwatch about it because of how divided everyone was about the RED Team. And now, she felt even more unsafe, now that her adoptive parents had just done their best imitation of her real parents. Her trust in them was shattered. She didn't think she could bear to go back to Watchpoint. She tried to run some more, hoping that it would take her mind off of things, but it didn't work.

"Oh, this is driving me bonkers," she moaned. "I have to speak to somebody!"

 _It was just at that moment when I found an unlikely source._

Tracer was walking by an old church, which, despite it not being Sunday, was filled with people no doubt having some sort of religious ceremony.

 _We both know how most religions think of "immoral" people like you and me, Emily. They said on their sign that they would never turn anybody away, but the large cross and "Catholic Church" sign was all that I needed to know about this place. Or at least, that's what I thought._

Tracer was never religious. She hated how the church thought she was an immoral pervert for being gay, and so did her parents. They did their best to keep her away from such negativity. She realized that her parents really did love her. They really wanted their daughter to live the best life possible. It was just that they couldn't stand each other. Another unlucky parallel between them and Pharah and Winston, she thought.

She turned her heel and continued running, but then she tripped over a rock on the pavement and fell face down onto the ground. She skinned her knee and scraped her elbows. Her head also hurt from the fall.

 _I'm not ashamed to admit this. After I fell, I cried. It was fitting that I felt some physical pain to match my emotional pain. I didn't care if anyone saw me. I didn't care if they would laugh. I felt like I had hit rock bottom, and anyone could now say whatever they wanted about that stupid girl lying on the ground._

But to her surprise, no one laughed at her. In fact, she heard the laughter and chatter on the church lawn die down, and she heard footsteps coming towards her.

"Hello!" A voice called out. "Are you OK?" A man had walked up to Tracer, holding a flashlight. "My child, are you hurt?"

"No," Tracer sobbed, wanting to get away as quickly as she could. "I'm alright."

"Ah, but you are not. I can tell," the man said sympathetically. "Something is hurting you, and it was not just the fall you took. Would you like to come into my church and talk about it with me?"

 _I lay on the ground, thinking about it. I did need somebody to talk to about the pain I was feeling. But as you know, I don't trust the church very much, and I was certainly not about to trust some priest whom I had never met before._

"I can't. I don't even know you," she said.

"You do now, my child. My name is Father Larry Snow. My church never pushes anyone in need away. What my sign says is true. All are welcome here. Even the gays and lesbians and non-Christians can seek shelter here. No one is judged in my church. That is The Lord's job."

 _I felt better after hearing that. I was starting to assure myself that this man really is a good one. But it could have just been a decoy. He could have been trying to trick me in so that he could molest me or burn me at on the cross for being a lesbian._

 _But I knew that wouldn't happen. We both know I am more than a match for any armed terrorist, much less some unarmed priest. He would never rape or kill me. I wouldn't let that happen. I would deliver a can of whoop-ass on him so fast it would make his head spin, before I sliced it off, that is._

 _Still, it occurred to me that I had accused the church of being prejudiced and judgmental. The last thing I want to be called is a hypocrite, so I decided to give this man a chance. Maybe he really was honest. And I did need to speak to someone. What did I have to lose?_

Tracer sniffed, and then silently said, "OK. I'll come in. But I just want you to know that I am a lesbian."

Father Snow only smiled. "That doesn't matter here, child. You are safe from any harm here. And my congregation-" He pointed to the people sitting and standing on the lawn, having what looked like a barbecue. "-Feels no different. We are all God's children, made in His own image. You will be gladly welcomed here as one of us." He held out his hand, and Tracer accepted it. "Follow me, child," he said.

He led Tracer through the crowd of people, eating hot dogs and hamburgers, and drinking soda and juice. Tracer saw that they were all watching a football game on the lawn. A banner placed on the church wall read,

ANNUAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL GAME

"You have football games here?" Tracer asked.

"Oh yes. It's been a long-standing tradition between us, the United Catholic Church of Gibraltar, and the Murray Hills Christian Church, which is not too far from here. Every week, we alternate between churches on where the game is played." He stopped for a moment to check the score. "Aw, shucks. We're losing."

"What's the score so far?"

"Protestants, 14. Catholics, 3. And last week, we were doing so well."

Father Snow led Tracer into the church. It was much more pleasant she expected it to be. She thought she would walk through the doors to find paintings of fire and brimstone and the apocalypse and other gory and violent images that she associated religion with. But to her surprise, there was none of that. There were indeed paintings, but they depicted a much more optimistic and cheerful world. There was no red, but lots of white in the church. There were quotes painted on the walls about healing and forgiveness and better lives for all.

As they rounded a corner, Tracer saw some little kids playing a croquet game next to a library that was in the church. The Catholic and Protestant children were having their own little match.

"How is everything going, my children?" Father Snow asked.

"Everything is awesome!" A little boy shouted.

"Says you. You just stole my win!"

"Oh, stop being a baby. You lost!"

"There there, children. We don't always win, so we must learn to lose graciously. Of course, we must learn to win graciously as well. So no fighting here!"

"Oh, all right," the losing boy said.

"That's mah boi." He then led Tracer into the sanctuary.

It was a large and dimly lit room. The overhead electric lights were turned off, but lots of candles around the room were lit. There was also a lot of wreaths and hollies decorating the walls and ceiling. It made sense, though. Christmas was coming soon, and the churches had to prepare for it. There were many aisles of pews, each with their own bibles and songbooks. At the head of the room was the altar, where the priest spoke his sermon, and behind it was the chancel, where the choir sat during service. There was a piano and organ in the chancel, but also a drum set, implying that the church was more upbeat than most. There was a door leading to some back room, and a bathtub which was the church's baptism tub.

Father Snow walked up to the altar and began to light some more candles. Tracer sat in a front row pew. She put her head on her hands, and waited for Father Snow to speak.

 _I didn't know how this was going to turn out. Who knew if this mane could help me? Suppose he was honest and really did care about me. What would happen then? I tried to be optimistic, but it was hard. I guess I stuck through with it, knowing that I had hit rock bottom, and the only place to go was up._

"Father, thanks for taking your time to listen to me," Tracer said.

"It's my pleasure, child. What makes you think that I wouldn't let you in?"

"Well, it's just…I'm not a Catholic…"

"Oh, well, nobody's perfect, my child."

"Well, I _did_ try to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, but anyway, not important. Thanks for letting me in. I really do need to speak to someone."

"That is not a problem. By the way, you never told me your name."

"Well…" She was nervous. She didn't want to say her full name in case he was using it to track her down later and stalk her. "My name is Lena," she said.

"Pleased to meet you, Lena. I hope we can become good friends somewhere down the line."

"I have to say, I'm really surprised that you don't seem to have any prejudice towards gays or lesbians," she said.

"Well, prejudice was what has just about killed Christianity," he said sadly. "Hateful, misguided people wanted people they thought were creepy and perverted burned at the stake. They should have known that God loves us all and holds no prejudice towards men who love other men, and women who love other women. Sadly, the Bible has been rewritten and misinterpreted countless times that lies suddenly became truth.

But by the early 21st Century, people had gotten tired of it. Religious and non-religious people alike knew that homosexual people are no different than heterosexual people, and they were tired of the treatment that their gay brothers and sisters were receiving, particularly in the United States, where hateful religious whackos tried to take over the government and establish a country where "immoral" behavior was treason to their country.

As a result, people turned their backs on religion. They stopped showing up to church, they refused to listen to our sermons, because they thought we were nothing but hateful and homophobic. In the US and Europe, laws had been passed prohibiting anti-gay discrimination, and now Christianity is all but extinct. It's so sad that some of our kin would allow such unimaginable hatred to take them over.

But these days, that's no longer the case. All churches that still exist today stand firmly with everyone, regardless of race, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, doesn't matter. These days, all churches welcome everybody."

Tracer was feeling much more comfortable speaking to him now. "So," he said. "Lena, what has been troubling you lately? Perhaps I can help you."

Lena sighed. She told him the whole story. Overwatch, the RED Team, Jeremy, his proposal, her confession, the attempted suicide, the trip to London, his rejection and departure, the fighting at the HQ, and her running away.

"It sounds to me, Lena, like he really does care about you. He knew that he would feel jealous over you two together and didn't want to ruin it. He cares about you enough that he didn't want to ruin a good thing that you two had. Love is one of the most beautiful things ever. The Lord smiles at seeing people love and not hate each other."

"But think about how that made _me_ feel," Tracer cried. "I wanted him to stay with me, and not even in a relationship with sex, I just wanted to be a good big sister for him. I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to support him. Maybe occasionally cuddle with him, but that's as intimate as he and I would get. I can barely sleep at night, knowing he's all the way out in America and I'm not.

I'm not convinced he's gotten over his depression. What if he tries to kill himself again? And he'll do it, because I won't be there to save him again." She cried into her arm. "Also, I feel so guilty over leaving Emily alone in London. I hoped he would move in to keep her from feeling sad and lonely. He doesn't know what he's doing to me and her! HE'S WRONG! HE'S WRONG HE'S WRONG HE'S WRONG!" She shouted hysterically.

"Calm down, my child," Father Snow said.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled.

"That's all right. The truth is, Lena, that sometimes we can't always tell what's the right and wrong decisions. People think that right and wrong decisions are so easy to make. They equate it to God and Satan. One is obviously good, the other obviously bad. Easy decision, right?

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes the line between right and wrong is so blurry that even a priest like me can't tell what to do. And that's what this young Jeremy is doing. He doesn't know which decision is the right one, but deep down, making the right decision is all he really wants to do. He only wants you, your girlfriend, and himself to be better off in the long run.

But it seems to me that he has feelings of envy that he needs to overcome. Not that I believe that jealousy is a sin. What is a sin, anyway? That's another thing that hateful whackos have been making up. It is in our nature to feel envy towards another human for whatever reason, but it does no good for anyone, and that's why it must be overcome."

"Are you suggesting that I try to get Jeremy back here?" Lena asked.

"I'm not telling you what to do, Lena," Father Snow said. "I can't make your decisions for you. That's all up to you. I'm only telling you that maybe the young Jeremy needs some help in making the right choices. He needs someone to shine a light on him. Maybe that is you, maybe that's your girlfriend, Emily, maybe it's someone else entirely.

What I am telling you to do, Lena, is to contact him, let him know of all the aspects to this debate, and either assure him or prove him wrong that what he did was right."

Lena stopped sniffling now. She felt a little better, but this priest wasn't really telling her what she should do about her situation.

"And as for your Overwatch family, as you have called them, I would say to at least give them another chance to prove themselves to you. We all make mistakes in life, and I believe we should always be given second chances."

"Thank you, Father," Lena said. "Thanks for listening to me."

"My dear, I always have time to listen to another person's woes. Thank you for giving me a chance." Tracer smiled. She knew she made the right choice here by letting him talk to her. "Would you like to stay for a little dinner?" He asked her.

"I'd like to," she said. "But I should get back to the Overwatch HQ. I need to contact my girlfriend."

"God bless you, Lena. I hope everything turns out well for you." He waved her goodbye as she walked out of the sanctuary doors, and then out the church front doors.

 _He was a nice man. The advice he gave me was good, even if at first I didn't know what to do after that. That's why I am emailing you now._

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Tracer was walking down a dark road in Gibraltar at night. She had her head down, her hands in her jacket pockets, and was lacking the skip that she had in her run. In fact, she wasn't running at all. She was taking slow and heavy steps down the road back to Watchpoint. The look on her face was one that people rarely saw. This wasn't the look of a bright and cheerful girl who was always in a pleasant mood. This was the look of a girl who had lost everything important to her. Her fellow Overwatch members would hardly believe that this was the same girl that took so much pride in being one of them. In fact, these days, Tracer's eyes were usually red, and she wasn't alone. D. Va also looked like she was crying whenever she was out of sight from everyone else.

The look on her face matched how she was feeling. She was miserable. She left her girlfriend back in London and her best friend just said no to their offer to stay with them in their home town to keep him company, and left them to live a rock and roll lifestyle in the United States, and in the state farthest from them, Oregon.

She had been walking alone late at night for the past few weeks now. Ever since Scout left, she had been seen less frequently around Watchpoint, and some Overwatch members thought they knew why.

As Tracer walked through the entrance at Watchpoint, she saw the members of her team sitting around in various places, some in the lobby, some in the mess hall, others just standing around in the halls. None of them looked happy, and that made sense. Morale at Overwatch was at an all-time low, as were the relationships between its' members. Everyone stared at Tracer as she made her way up to her room, but no one had the courage to say anything. In particular, Winston and Pharah looked not only sad, but incredibly guilty over the fight earlier. Pharah tried to speak to Tracer. "Lena, honey, I'm sorry about earlier, but there's nothing…" Tracer just ignored Pharah. She knew what she was going to say, and she didn't want to hear any of it. It was just going to be the same old shtick that she always heard.

Tracer tried to sleep, but she found that she couldn't. Lately, nights for her had been sleepless and tiring, no doubt because of how she had been feeling lately.

 _And that brings me to where I am now, typing up this email to send to you._

 _Oh, Emily. I miss you so much. And I miss Jeremy, too. I want him back. I want you both back. My life just feels so incomplete without you two in it. I have never felt the same since Jeremy left. I have felt nothing but pain and misery._

 _We have to get him back, Emily. I don't care how. I can't live like this anymore. I feel to be sure that everything is alright with him and that his journey of healing is helping him._

 _I don't care what. We have to do something. This can't go on any longer. It's not an option. Not anymore. I won't let this go on. I can't. I'm not strong enough to._

 _Please respond back to me quickly, love. I need your help on this as soon as you can send it._

 _With all the love my heart can give, Lenazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz_

Tracer fell asleep on her keyboard, one of the most uncomfortable places to fall asleep in. She was going to wake up next morning, not with bed head, but with "keyboard face," and she wasn't going to like it. She wasn't going to like facing the rest of Overwatch, either. Especially not Pharah or Winston.

She moved around on the keyboard and accidentally hit the "Send" button on her email bar. Though she would later call it the best mistake she ever made.

She had to get Emily and Jeremy back. She didn't know how, but she knew that that was essential.

 **Well, that's it for now. For those of you who are tired of seeing no results on Google after typing in "McCree punches Hanzo Fanfiction," this is for you.**

 **I hope I met everyone's expectations when I said that the Overwatch Civil War was going to climax in this chapter. Let me know in the review section if I did. And please leave reviews, even if you're just a guest. I barely got any for the last chapter I posted.**

 **Now, the next chapter for this story will probably be the last one. The ending will happen there, but I have a feeling that you all will like what I have in mind here. You might be able to guess it already. I certainly won't say anything right now. I will never ruin my own stories for people.**

 **Speaking of which, I don't have a lot of ideas for a new story yet. I will definitely write and post one if I come up with something, but I've just been drawing a blank lately. In fact, I'm willing to start taking requests now, especially for my other fiction, Clocking In Some One-Shots. So if you have something you'd like to see there or anywhere else, leave a review, and I might do something with that idea. That's not a promise or a guarantee or an IOU, just a maybe, if I think that your idea has potential. I'll even credit those who give me ideas. So if you're a guest, be sure to leave a name.**

 **This chapter turned out longer than I expected. Hopefully the finale will come up shortly.**


	17. Chapter 17: Christmas on the Coast

" **Damn, all this negative energy within OW, surprised it didn't turn out more violent than it did. Also for poor little Lena, drowning in misery and sorrow. Hope she can find a way to bring Jeremy back. That does not involve kidnapping him, hehe." – Torrask the Beast.**

 **It was originally going to be a lot more violent than that, but I decided to tone it down because I thought people would be shocked enough from seeing McCree punching Hanzo right in the face, and especially Winston and Pharah trying to kill each other. I also wanted to create an image of Tracer as the exact opposite of how she always appears in OW videos and promo pictures: Sad, lonely, head down, hands in pockets, etc. I'd like someone to create a picture of that if that's possible.**

 **As for your suggestion, I will think about that. Thank you for not making it one of those WidowTracer stories, which I am against. Not because it shows the two as gay, but because the two of them just don't work well together. I would be against it if one of them was a man.**

 **It's actually a bit similar to the original story I was going to write (the one with Scout and Tracer as lovers, which I scrapped). If enough people want me to, I'll post a page on here giving a synopsis of what it would have been like.**

 **If you want to see this, I need fifteen reviews asking for it. And no guest reviews asking for it, because anyone can just log out of their account and post another review under a different name for it. I will post guest reviews for it on here, but they won't count.**

" **I just wanted to say that this is the most realistic-feeling crossover between these two games I've seen yet. Great job." – Apologetic**

 **Thank you. I feel like there's not enough fanfictions on this site that feel that way. I really tried to bring a sense of realism to this story, which is why I use real places like Five Guys and Guitar Center, and mention real songs and even use real people (ie, The Rolling Stones). My goal was to make this story about a situation that anyone here could see themselves in, which doesn't happen very much in fanfiction. Most of it is just an excuse to have two characters fucking for a couple thousand words.**

" **Loved how this chapter focused on just Lena. We haven't really been given a fanfic that really connects us with the characters yet, with the exception of this." – iAmBecomeSnail**

 **Again, realism was what I was going for. I hope more fanfiction writers chose to write their stories this way.**

 **And I didn't respond to your full review a couple chapters ago simply because I had nothing to say to it. Nothing personal, that's just it.**

" **As for your next story, you could consider either writing a sequel to this, or if I may suggest, do a crossover between Silent Hill and Team Fortress 2. Probably a spin-off based on this story, using Scout's background of his struggles and how he's gonna be facing them by having Silent Hill do twisted manifestations, mirroring his past struggles as a child and early teens and probably do some similar things to other characters from TF2 also." –EpsilonChurchRVB**

 **I'm not too familiar on Silent Hill, but I have been meaning to. Is it on Steam? If so, I should save up for it for the next sale so that I can get into it, because that sounds like a good idea.**

" **Here's a little lesson on Alcohol. Scotch specifically. Scotch can only be made in Scotland. That's why they call it scotch. It's just like how you can only make bourbon in Kentucky, or Sake in Japan." – Know it All**

 **Buddy, I'm from Oregon. When I say we have everything, I mean** _ **we have everything**_ **. Ever heard of a little drink called Sake One? Straight outta Forest Grove.**

" **I don't want this series to end." – Anonymous**

 **It will have to at some point. However, in the past few days, I've decided to extend it a little longer than I expected. Stay tuned at the end of this chapter and I'll explain.**

It was a quiet night. The evening sun was setting, and the only sounds were crickets chirping and the occasional dog barking. It was 6 o'clock at night. For most people, this is the time when they would be finished with their day and getting ready to turn in for the night. However, for one young man, 6 o'clock was the time for him to be somewhere important. But first, he had one little thing to take care.

Jeremy Scott, who no longer called himself Scout, sat on the chair in his office and began to type up an email on his computer. He was now used to using it and was comfortable with how it worked. But, as evidenced by his typing, it was clear that he still needed some work.

 _Dear dad, Jeremy here._

 _Thanks for sending me my old Magnavox Odyssey. I'm surprised you still had access to Winston's time-travelling whatchamacallit. Keep sending me all my old things from the seventies. I really miss my old Monopoly game board. Also, if you can, I'm developing an interest for video games now. Do you think you could go back in time to the 1980s, 90s, 2000s, and after that to get all those really cool game consoles on the days of their launches? I sorta want to be able to play them brand-new, fresh outta the box. You know what I'm saying here? I sometimes wish that Hana, the Korean girl from Overwatch, would come out here to play a few rounds with me. I think she could teach me a few things about gaming._

Jeremy paused for a moment and sighed.

 _I have to be honest. I sometimes feel guilty about leaving her there. She confessed that she has a crush on me, very much like I had with Tracer, and I just left her. She cried when I left her at the airport. I hate that. I hate making girls cry. It goes against what I stand for._

 _On another topic, I've settled into my new home now. Be sure to thank Hard Hat for me for all the help he put into helping me build this thing._

He, of course, was not referring to the apartment on Flanders Street in Portland, where he had originally settled down to live in. He left the apartment not too long ago to move into his new house. It was his dream house. The one that he always wanted to live in. It was a large house that he built on five acres of land that he purchased in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

 _I told you that investing in all that Tom Jones merchandise would make me rich. And this new house is proof of that! If only you could be here to see it. For once, you would be jealous of your own son. I told you it would work, but you just called me an imbecile._

Jeremy sighed again. He had a lot that he needed to talk about, and not much time left to do it.

 _Well, it's December 23 now here. It's been almost a hundred years since we came into this year. My life has changed quite significantly, I have to say. One day, I'm busting heads and laughing at bad guys, just like in the old days, and now, with 2077 is almost out, I'm going back to Portland to play another gig._

 _Did I ever tell you where I got some spots booked at? It's this one place called The Crystal Ballroom. Right in the heart of Downtown Portland. It's a really sweet place. There's a dance floor on top of the building, a brewery below it, and a restaurant on the ground floor. And of course it has a bar. Every place in Portland has one._

 _It's said that in 1965, Little Richard fired his guitarist on stage there. And guess the fuck it's said to be? Jimi Hendrix. From what I hear, he didn't think Jimi was very good at guitar. What a fucking idiot._

 _So yeah, that's what I've been doing here in Portland since I moved here. I've given up fighting and shooting, and now I'm playing music, which I have to say, I like it much more. For once, people actually wanna see me._

 _I started playing at other bars around town when I first came._

(Flashback)

Jeremy Scott, having just arrived in Portland a few days ago, was walking through the streets of Portland one bright and sunny afternoon. Summer was ending in a few days, so everybody was taking a walk outside to enjoy the few days of sunlight that were left because winter was coming.

 _I hadn't been living here for that long, but I really liked the town. The people were nice and friendly, and I can't forget to mention the food carts. There's entire blocks of these things with everything you could ever want! One thing I didn't like, and still don't, is all the trains running through the town. And I'm not just talking about streetcars, although there's lots of them, I'm talking about big, huge passenger trains that run_ right in the middle of the goddamn street! _What were they thinking?! Was that necessary?!_

Jeremy had just nearly dodged an approaching transit train coming right at him as he was crossing the street. From his point of view, it had come right out from nowhere. He did not expect that to come at all.

"Aw jeez! These damn trains are everywhere! Trains, buses, bikes, does anyone drive around here?!" Apparently not, since public transportation was so common, and the parking in the downtown area was terrible.

 _That's another thing I don't like about this town. You can't drive anywhere. Parking spaces are in the most stupid spots you can imagine and parking fares here are just so fucking high. I have to give up a whole gig's worth of money just to park my car somewhere here._

Jeremy was walking down the street. After some time, he came to a small bar in the center of the city called The Cheerful Tortoise. It was not very large, but it still looked lively. Music was playing from inside. It was a tune that Jeremy really liked. It was Ringo Starr's old hit, "It Don't Come Easy." There were a few tables outside and some people were sitting there, laughing, talking and clinking glasses.

 _It seemed like a cool place to hang out at, and I could have gone for a drink right then,_

Jeremy walked inside. It was a lot like The Green Dragon, the bar that he dropped in at in Gibraltar, but a lot less violent. There were lots of huge men and bikers in the bar, drinking, gambling, and playing pool, and a mixture of tobacco and marijuana smoke hang in the air. But unlike the Green Dragon, there was no fighting and instead everyone was joking and laughing. Jeremy also noticed that there were lots of men his age as well. A lot of 20-year-old guys, most of them coming in after a long day at Portland State University, which was just down the street from the bar.

But what really stood out to Jeremy was a small stage at the front of the bar. It had a piano, a microphone, a set of amplifiers and speakers and even some brightly-colored stage lights hanging above it.

 _This looked interesting to me. I always wanted to play music, especially recently, after I left Overwatch, and this looked like my chance to finally do it._

He walked up the bar counter, sat on a stool, and was quickly greeted by the bartender.

"Hey kid. How's your school day going?"

"Huh?" Jeremy was confused at first, but then he realized why he was asked that. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I don't go to the college. I'm just passing through."

"Oh, OK. What would you like to drink?" The bartender asked him.

"Umm…" Jeremy surveyed the chalkboard above the drinks with all the options written on it. "I'll take a…Black Widow porter."

"Excellent choice. I'll have one up in just a moment."

"Hey wait! Can I ask something?"

"Sure, kid. What would you like?"

"Does anyone…you know…perform on that stage at all?"

"Oh yeah, we always like to have people come in play a few songs for us in this bar. Sadly, we haven't gotten a whole lot lately. Most of our top-billing players had moved out of town not too long ago and we've having trouble finding some new guys. Do you know where we can find someone?"

 _This was like a dream for me. This bar needed some gigs, and so did I. As you can probably guess, I quickly took this opportunity._

"Well, I can play some guitar," Jeremy said modestly. "And I can sing, and even play a little harmonica."

The bartender gave Jeremy his full attention. "Well then, how would you like to be our new house performing act?"

Jeremy was surprised. "You serious?"

"Yeah, come on in here sometime. Show us your skills. Audition for us. If you've got what it takes to entertain a crowd of drunken bikers and college kids, you could be our new band. And after that, I can arrange a few gigs in some other parts of town, too."

"Freakin' fantastic!" Jeremy was excited. This was his chance to live out his new dream. Or at least to try to. "When would like me to come in?"

"How about this Thursday for an audtion? And if I think you're good, I can give you a gig the next Friday."

"Sounds awesome!" Jeremy's dream was finally happening.

"By the way, here's your drink, kid!" He scooted a pint of Black Widow porter down the counter towards Jeremy. He happily picked it up and took a swig out of it, as the bartender's phone started ringing. It had a real bitter taste to it, but he didn't mind. He thought it tasted very good. He hadn't drank much since he turned 21, but this was beyond any doubt a great drink, and it was only the beginning of what Portland had to offer to him.

"Hey, everyone!" The bartender shouted out. "Is there a Mr. Ness here? Um, is there a P. Ness in here? Hey, everyone! I wanna see a P. Ness in here!"

"Be careful what you wish for!" One of the college kids drinking some beer shouted. This prompted a huge round of laughter from everyone in the bar, including from Jeremy himself.

"Oh, you…" The bartender groaned, realizing what was going on. "Listen here, you little slimy jackass, if I ever find out who you are, I'm gonna gouge out your eyes with a crowbar and use them as martini olives!" And he slammed the phone back down.

 _There I was, just sitting in a bar, minding my own business, and all of sudden, poof. A star is born._

Jeremy headed back to his apartment after finishing his drink. It was not a very big place to live. His apartment only had four rooms: The main room, containing his kitchen, dining room, and TV room, his bedroom, complete with its' own bathroom, and another bedroom, again with its' own bathroom. He also had an outside deck. He put some lawn chairs and a table outside so that he could have a good view of the Portland area. Later, he went to Home Depot, bought a gas grill, assembled it himself, and put that on the deck as well. He knew a little bit about cooking, having cooked for his mother several times. He wasn't an expert at it, but he did know a lot about grilling meats and veggies. He could also make some wicked scrambled eggs and pancakes on his own. He could make a wicked pot of chili, but he did have to look at his mother's recipe on occasion to remember all the spices that went in there. He ignored it in the past, and that led to him putting in too much chili powder or cayenne. Sometimes both, and that usually led to him nearly breathing fire. One time he did this, and his brothers mocked him by calling him Smaug for the next several weeks.

 _The next day was Tuesday. On that day, I finished another project I was working on: I turned the other bedroom in my apartment, the one I wasn't using, and turned it into a small rehearsal studio. I wanted to practice my instrument to prepare for the audition, but whenever I tried to play his electric guitar or synthesizer, I always got complaints from the other tenants for the noise he was making. People hated it so much I eventually received a notice from the landlord to stop this or he would be evicted._

 _I decided to solve this problem by going to the nearby music store and buying some soundproof walls. I assume that it worked. Nobody had complained of my playing ever since._

 _On Tuesday, I finished putting in my drums, which for a long time, I had problems with as I could never find a comfortable position to put them in._

As he finished, Jeremy sat down behind his drums and played a fast drum solo. He decided that he would continue to play it until someone complained to him about the noise. But that never happened. He just continued to practice being the next Keith Moon.

He spent the entire day practicing. He actually spent more time practicing some songs on his guitar and harmonica than he did about drumming. He knew that was more important. The songs that he played were very short and simple. He played Bob Dylan's signature tune, "Blowin' in the Wind," Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska," Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," and he Who's "Drowned." He was going to start writing his own songs at some point, but he wasn't confident enough about it yet. And anyway, he knew that people didn't want to hear songs that they never knew yet. They wanted to hear songs that they knew. He felt like he had betrayed himself by playing it safe and giving into demands, but he figured that it was what he needed to do at that moment.

He continued doing this all through Wednesday as well. By the end of that day, he felt like he was going to hit a home freaking run at his audition. He was excited by this. He felt that this was truly the start of a new life for him. A life in which people would finally want to see him. A life where people would be cheering whenever he came on stage, and this was only the beginning. He wasn't going to stop here. No, he wanted to reach the top. He wanted to become a star. He wanted to go on tours and perform for large groups of people, like he did with the Rolling Stones months ago.

 _Heh. I could have said to the audiences I played at that I played with the Rolling Stones. That probably would have made me famous in no time. But then again, I don't know how many people would believe that. I think they would have thought I was just lying about that._

By Wednesday night, he had finished watching then-old shows like _Breaking Bad_ and _Daredevil_ on Netflix, which he finally got into. He was unused to internet streaming of movies and TV shows, but he thought that this could be useful. He also finally saw _Supernatural_ for the first time, and he _really_ liked it.

 _Now I understand why that snow queen liked it so much. It has everything! Action, funny moments, scary moments, and even sad ones._

Speaking of sad moments, he began to think about something, or someone, that he had not thought about in a long time. He walked out to his deck and looked out towards the city. Before, when he was staying in a temporary apartment in London, he would look out from a similar viewpoint and see Lena Oxton and her girlfriend, Emily, kissing each other in their own backyard, and he also remembered how jealous he felt when seeing them there.

 _I always felt jealous seeing Lena and Emily express their love for each other right in front of me, not that they knew I was watching them, but still. But then, when I looked out from my apartment, I didn't seem them. I saw some couples, sometimes gay, sometimes straight, kissing one another. I didn't care about them, though. I didn't know who they were. What difference did it make to me?_

 _But now that I couldn't see them there, it made me feel sad. I'm not ashamed to admit this. I really miss Lena. I even miss Emily. I respect her because she understood how I felt and actually, she wished she could help me find someone else. I really like that she didn't get jealous at knowing I love Lena. In fact, she actually said to me, "I don't blame you for loving her."_

 _But I wished I could see her again. I didn't know if she missed me, but looking back, she probably did. But I didn't know that. All I knew was that I was alone, and I left my best friend back at the Overwatch HQ._

 _I sometimes wish that I had just accepted her offer to live in London with her, because as jealous as I felt, there was one thing that never dawned on me until after I left._

 _She was a better friend to me than Miss Pauling ever was. She didn't reject me, and even still had feelings for me. She said so herself. I started feeling guilty over my decision. She was more than I ever had with Miss P., and I just threw her out of my life. I don't think I should have done that, because now I regret it._

Jeremy sighed and walked back inside. He could only guess what Lena was doing at that moment. He just hoped she wasn't crying, because that was the one thing he hated doing: Making a girl cry. And he certainly would never forgive himself for making his crush cry.

 _Maybe that's why they call it a crush. It's how you feel after the person you love doesn't return it._

Finally Thursday night came. Jeremy showed up at The Cheerful Tortoise, ready to audition for the owner to be his new house act. He showed up at around noon, with only his acoustic guitar, a harmonica, and a couple of effects pedals.

"Sounds like you're full of enthusiasm for this gig," said the owner. The bartender who served Jeremy the other day was also there, behind the counter. There were few customers there, but that was OK. The bar was never busy at this time of day. "So can you do a little folk number?"

"Yeah, I know lots of Dylan tunes."

"Play one."

He played one that he knew off the top of his head, "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35."

 _Well, they'll stone you when you're trying to be so good_ _  
_ _They'll stone you just like they said they would_ _  
_ _They'll stone you when you're trying to go home_ _  
_ _And they'll stone you when you're there all alone_

He played the rest of that song, and a few other Dylan songs, "Just Like a Woman," "Visions of Johanna," and a short edit of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," which on the album _Blonde on Blonde_ , ran over eleven minutes. D. Va would be sick to death of listening to it, he knew.

He played some more songs, all the ones he knew that he could play with just a guitar and a harmonica. After he finished, the owner looked at the bartender, then looked back at Jeremy.

"Well?" He asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. "How was it?"

"Well, kid, that was…" He said in a very low voice, but then in a very bright one, "Quite amazing!"

"Yeah, that was great, kid! You certainly do have talent!"

"Yep!" said the owner. "You're hired! You're our new house act! Here's 500 dollars in advance, and you'll get another 200 for your first gig, which is 45 minutes, tomorrow night!"

Jeremy smiled. He had succeeded. His music career was just getting started. "Freakin' awesome! Thank you guys! I'll see you tomorrow night!"

"See you then, kid. Oh, by the way, what was your name again?"

Jeremy stopped for a moment. He was considered whether he should use his real name, or a stage name. Then he decided. "My name's Jeremy Scott. But you can just call me The Scout."

"Good to meet you, Mr. Scout. We like forward to seeing you again tomorrow! You're gonna bring the house down tomorrow! Hopefully we won't have drinks on it when you do!"

Jeremy laughed. This guy had a sense of humor, something which the world really lacked these days, and especially his own life. "See you tomorrow!" And he left the building.

 _I did it. I finally got a place to perform. But I knew that I hadn't quite succeeded yet. Now I needed to know what the audience thought of me._

 _Sure, I played with The Rolling Stones, one of the biggest bands of all time, which I_ still _don't know how they're still alive today. But that's just the thing. I was filling in for someone else. Probably no one who was there will recognize me if they ran into me on the street._

 _Now, I was on my own. Now I had top billing. I needed to know what people thought of me then._

On Friday night, returned to The Cheerful Tortoise at around 8:00 pm. The bar was packed. Most of the people there were excited because the bar hadn't had a house act in a long time and most of them were ready to see some music again.

Jeremy took the stage, sitting down on a stool provided for him, and hooked his acoustic guitar up to an amp. He adjusted his harmonica and the microphone and then he began to sing "Rainy Day Women" again, this time in front of the audience. And he was still unsure about his own singing voice. Singing was one of the things he hadn't done very much of. He was worried what people would think of how he sounded.

Now, of course, nobody thought that Bob Dylan was ever a good singer. A good songwriter, of course, but somebody could have sung the songs better than him. Jeremy Scott solved that problem. As he sang, the audience thought that he could have taught Dylan some singing lessons. His mid-ranged tenor had captured the feelings that the song was going for. This new, stripped-down acoustic version had its' own merits, especially compared to the original version, which was filled with brass instruments. People especially liked the chorus of " _Everybody must get stoned_." As it was Oregon, people were perfectly fine with being stoned.

By the time he finished the song, the audience was already cheering and applauding the young boy for his skills. They knew that had discovered their new performer.

The next song he played was a soulful version of The Beatles' "I've Got a Feeling." He resonated with that song, especially the part that went,

 _Everybody had a hard year, Everybody had a good time_

 _Everybody had a wet dream, Everybody saw the sun shine, oh yeah._

Especially the "Everybody had a hard year" part. That was very similar to how he felt.

After 45 minutes, he set came to a close, and the bar was packed with people who were interested in the new performer. By the time Scout's set had finished, he knew that he was a hit among his fellow Portlanders.

He stepped off the stage, and the owner congratulated him. "Well done! That's some of the best music we've ever had around here! Here's 200 dollars for your set, and we hope to see you back here for more!"

"This is freakin' unbelievable. Thanks for giving me this chance, man!"

"Not a problem. Same time tomorrow?"

"I'd love to. I've got othing' better to do now."

"Excellent. See you around!"

 _I was a hit. I felt accomplished then. And that was only the start. Word about me soon spread around the streets of Portland. Other bars were interested in me. I was even invited to perform on the park blocks of PSU. After one gig there, somebody asked me if I was interested in enrolling in college, but I said no. I can barely read the word "Submachine." I don't think I'm smart enough to make it in a huge college like this._

 _Besides, I was having so much fun performing at these gigs. Why would I stop doing that?_

 _Finally, one of the owners of this restaurant chain called McMennamins asked me if I was interested in performing at one of their places, and the Crystal Ballroom was one of them._

 _It was a larger venue that the bars and universities that I was playing in, and the pay was much higher. I instantly took the opportunity. I played my first gig there on September 19. It was my largest audience yet (aside from playing with the Stones, of course). Over 200 people were there to see me._

 _After playing in the ballroom, I started to become a celebrity around here. I was making so much money off of these gigs, and of course, remember that Tom Jones merchandise?_

 _So, with all of my wealth, I decided to finally pursue my dream._

In his car, Scout took a long drive west of Portland. He was going all the way out to the Oregon Coast to look at a place to build his new house. Once he got out there, he noticed a patch of land, five acres to be exact, that was up for sale.

It offered a great view of the Pacific Ocean. And with all the land that was offered to him, he could finally build his dream house, and with all the features that he desired to have. It was all he needed to know about. So, for an easy $300,000, he purchased the land. It was now legally his. He owned it now. He could do whatever he wanted with it.

The first thing he did was call up his old friend Engie.

"Hey, Hard Hat? Yeah, it's me, Scout. Hey listen. I need you to do me a favor. You know that dream house I've been tellin' ya about all the time? Yeah? Yeah, I know. I annoyed you all the time with that. Well, anyway, I'm finally doin' it, and I need your help with it. Yeah? Yeah? Yeah, I'm including everything. Everything I've ever wanted. Well, of course I can pay for it. Would I really start building this thing if I couldn't? Yeah, I probably would, wouldn't I?

What? Why am I doing this in Oregon? Well, I wanted to do it in Massachusetts, which you know is where I'm from, but everyone told me not to. I got in touch with a lotta architects there, and they all told me it was too dangerous because of the hurricanes in the Atlantic. I don't blame 'em. One hurricane can ruin months of hard work. So I'm doin' it out on the Pacific instead, where I don't have to worry about hurricanes and all those other nasty storms, you know what I'm sayin'?

Yeah, I'm even leaving all that extra land empty for that reason. Well, I don't know. I may invite you guys over here for a few rounds someday. What? Oh, all right. I'll put that in as well. Might as well go all the way with this new property. You will? Oh thanks, dude. You're such a lifesaver. I don't know where I'd be without ya. Don't gimme that. Your dispensers have saved my ass I don't know how many times. I just wish you wouldn't tease me with your Wrangler. OK, see you in a few days. Oh and hey? Drinks are on me once this thing is finished. I knew you'd say yes. Thanks. Buh-bye." Jeremy hung up the phone. Then he clapped his hands in excitement and did a little victory dance. "Ha-ha! It's finally happening! Oh, if only dad could see me now!"

 _Yeah, and here I am three months later, the house just got finished yesterday and I am loving it._

 _It's got everything, as I said. Everything I've ever wanted. The house alone takes up one whole acre of my property. I'm still leaving those four acres open. You know what I'm doing them for. I figured that you would like it._

During this time, Jeremy managed to secure more gigs, which, as his fame grew, resulted in him making a lot more money than he used to. He now wished that he had done this earlier. He might not have even had to join the RED Team, and that wouldn't have gotten him into Overwatch, and that in turn would not have let him meet Tracer.

That's when it all came back to haunt him.

 _Those few months when I was working on the house were so relaxing for me. You see, for a brief, fleeting moment, I forgot I was lonely. I forgot about Lena, and all the grief she had caused me._

 _Well, I shouldn't say_ she _caused it. It's really my fault. I allowed myself to fall in love with someone I had no chance of living with. And it's not just for sex, OK? All right, yeah, I would have wanted that to come at some point. I mean, who wouldn't? She's got such a great body, she got those nice freckles on her cheeks, and was she teasing people by showing off that butt of hers in her suit? I could swear she was doing that on purpose, and all those other OW women as well._

 _But that wasn't the point. I know it's not just for sex. I love Lena. I still do. I only left her because I was so sure that I was doing what was best for the both of us. But now, I don't know if I really made the right choice. If I ever see her again, and she says that she felt worse after I left, that's how I'll know that I didn't do what was right._

 _That's when I knew that I really did love her. When Miss P came out to me, I was crushed, but I got over it quickly. It's been months since Lena confessed to me, and I'm still not over it. Sometimes I wonder if there's someone out there who hates me so much and wants my life to suck._

 _I know this sounds confusing, but that's my mind right now. It's all over the place. I love her, I know I can't have her, but I still want her in my life, and I turned down a chance to have that. Now I feel like an idiot. I'll only feel worse if I hear that she misses me a lot._

Scout, now living in his house, sat on a lawn chair on a balcony just outside of his bedroom. He liked this. It gave him a great view of the Pacific Ocean, which, right now, across its' waters, had a perfect reflection of the evening sun setting across the sky. It was a dark orange, with yellow lines around it. It was beautiful to watch. But now he didn't feel happy, which he always did when watching the sunset. Right next to him was another lawn chair, this one was empty, though.

Jeremy's eyes were watering. He missed Lena. And now he felt like he really made a bad decision. The jealousy he felt at seeing her and Emily together was nothing compared to the sadness that he now felt, knowing he might never see either of them again. He felt stupid for turning down a chance to live with them. He wished for anything to have them both back. But he couldn't go back to London now. He built his dream house, and he wasn't about to sell it so soon after moving into it. There was no going back now. He was going to live here for the rest of his life.

It was a quiet night. The evening sun was setting, and the only sounds were crickets chirping and the occasional dog barking. It was 6 o'clock at night. For most people, this is the time when they would be finished with their day and getting ready to turn in for the night. However, for one young man, 6 o'clock was the time for him to be somewhere important. But first, he had one little thing to take care.

Jeremy Scott, who no longer called himself Scout, sat on the chair in his office and began to type up an email on his computer. He was now used to using it and was comfortable with how it worked. But, as evidenced by his typing, it was clear that he still needed some work.

 _And so, I have to stop right here. I've got another gig at the Crystal Ballroom in a couple of hours. I've got a few songs lined up. One of them is one that I wrote myself. I'm gonna try it out to my audience. I hope they like it._

 _Don't worry. I built a basement area with its' own bedroom, kitchen, and everything, just in case you and ma wanna come live here. I hope that with everything else I have here, we can spend some more father-and-son time together, especially a few rounds of foosball. You know how much I love that._

 _Your (truly) loving son,_

 _Jeremy._

Jeremy hit the "Send" button on his browser, shut down his computer, and picked up his guitar case, pedal board, and a laptop computer with some studio equipment. He loaded them up into his new car, which was a sleek Mercedes-Benz, which he thought worked well with his old Impala, and drove back to Portland for another gig.

It was a long drive, but he didn't mind. He liked these long drives from Cannon Beach to Portland. After doing it ten times, he quickly became familiar with the roads and surroundings. The local classic rock radio station, which was always his favorite, was always blasting his favorite tunes out the car's stereo. To him, it was the perfect mix of old and new.

But as he was driving, he was thinking about Lena again. He continued to cry some more. He really missed her. He would give anything, _anything_ , to be able to see her again. Maybe even, if it wasn't asking too much, have her see him perform. He would like to see her proud of him, not to be too boastful about it.

He now decided that he made the wrong move by leaving her. Spy was right. Even if she wouldn't call him boyfriend, Lena still gave him hugs and kisses, she still wanted to hang out with him, and she declared him one of the best things that ever happened to her, all of which Miss Pauling _never_ did with him. Jeremy decided that Miss P. was just a crummy person who didn't care about anyone but herself and her strict boss, but that Tracer was someone who cared for others, maybe more than herself.

"Ohhhh," he whined. "I had such a great gift and I threw it away. Oh, God." He was sobbing. "What have I done? I'm so sorry, Lena. Please come to me sometime. Tell me that it's not over." He knew that she wouldn't hear him, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get that out of his system.

An hour later, he made it to the Ballroom. He looked up at the sign, and it showed that he had top billing at this venue tonight. The billboard above him read:

JEREMY THE SCOUT: YOUR FAVORITE LONG-DISTANCE PERFORMER! DECEMBER 23! ONE NIGHT ONLY!

He picked up his equipment and wheeled it into the building. The restaurant was on the first floor. There were lots of people who were only there to grab a burger and some beer and didn't care about the performing act above them, but once Jeremy stepped in, he was greeted with cheers from all around.

"Hey-Hey! There's the young rascal!"

"You're gonna be rockin' tonight!"

"Yeah, you're gonna be great! Cheers, man!"

Jeremy quickly turned his head in the direction of that last cheer. It sounded similar to Tracer's "Cheers, love!" catchphrase. But he knew he didn't come from her. It was a man's voice and besides, what would Tracer be doing out here in Portland?

Jeremy took his stuff up to the ballroom on the third floor. Before he stepped in, though, a security guard stopped him and said, "You sure about this, Mr. Scout? I counted the attendance. There's about 500 people here."

Five hundred? To a small local act like Jeremy The Scout, five hundred was Woodstock. "Nah, I think…I can handle it," he said, with some uncertainty.

"All right, if you insist." The guard let him in.

After 30 minutes of setting up, at around 8 o'clock, his performance began.

This time, he brought an electric guitar with him to play some solo rockin' riffs, such as one of his favorites, Led Zeppelin's classic "Since I've Been Loving You." He learned how to play old blues riffs on his guitar, and got very good at it. And for those acoustic moments, he brought along a new handy tool to use: An acoustic simulator pedal. The title is pretty self-explanatory.

He played classic songs on electric and acoustic modes for about 30 minutes, then he stepped off the stage for a brief intermission. He walked downstairs to the second floor, which had a brewery and a smaller, less well-known act performing at a smaller dance floor. It was someone in a similar position to his not too long ago. He drank a couple of beers, then he walked back up to the main dance floor to finish his set.

But he didn't want to now. He now felt so sad over missing Lena that he wanted to just cancel the rest of his gig right there and then so that he could cry, without anybody noticing him. But he couldn't do that. Not only would he lose his pay, but his newfound fan base, which brought him up to where he is now, and the high levels that he would rise to after this, deserved better.

So, he went back up to the stage, this time putting away his guitar, and playing a track he recorded ahead of time of some slow and quiet piano music. He would this time take the stage with nothing but his microphone and would sing an emotional song to the audience. He wasn't sure how they would take it, as they came to hear some hard rocking tunes and equally upbeat folk songs. But he needed to show people how he was feeling.

"So, hey, everyone. I don't know if you wanna hear this, but…lately…" he choked a little bit. "I've been…feeling…really down. I left behind…someone that…I love…so much…And I…just wanted some…of you to know…just what it feels like to…" He stopped talking then, as he thought that talking any more would just make him break down in front of everybody. After taking a quick drink of water, he began to sing.

 _I left Lena soon after a long fought civil war. Just after she wiped away my last tear.  
I guess she's better off than she was before. A whole lot better than the fool she left here.  
I used to cry for Lena because she was my only friend. Those kind of cars don't pass you every day.  
But I still cry for Lena because I want to see her again. But sometimes life don't always work my way…_

 _Sometimes it snows in April. Sometimes I feel so, so bad.  
Sometimes I wish life was never-ending. And all good things, they say, never last._

The emotion in Jeremy's voice was really showing. He looked as sad as the lyrics in the song he was singing. To his surprise, and relief, the audience wasn't booing him off. In fact, Jeremy's singing had touched everybody's hearts in the audience. As he looked out from the spotlight that was shining on him, he could see lots of people crying in the audience. A young woman looked like she had a lump in her throat. An older man, who looked like a biker in the bars that Jeremy frequented, was also about to cry. He quickly gulped down his beer to prevent his tears from falling. Even the servers and waitresses had stopped what they were doing and were holding back their tears at Jeremy's song.

Jeremy began to sing another verse.

 _Springtime was always my favorite time of year. A time for lovers holding hands in the rain.  
Now springtime only reminds me of Lena's fears. Always crying for love, never crying for pain._

 _She used to say so strong, unafraid to die. Unafraid of the death that left me hypnotized.  
Now, staring at her picture I realized, no one could cry the way my Lena cried._

It was too much for Jeremy. After finishing that verse, just before the start of a piano instrumental break, he finally cried. He sobbed into his microphone, for everyone to hear. But for once, he didn't care. Since he saw other people crying, he knew they understood how he felt.

He was so emotional that he almost missed the second chorus of the song, but before he could sing it, he heard another voice start singing.

 _Sometimes it snows in April. Sometimes I feel so, so bad._

Jeremy cocked his head to his right. Another spotlight was shining on another person. He could barely see who that person was, but he thought to himself, _Wait a minute. That voice sounds familiar. He sounds like…No…It…It couldn't…_

A familiar British voice was singing the chorus of the song.

 _Sometimes I wish that life was never-ending. And all good things, they say, never last._

It was. It was exactly who Jeremy thought it was. Lena Oxton was on the stage, singing the song that he was performing. He could see her clearly now. She was out of her Tracer outfit, and wearing an outfit with long black and tight pants, and a t-shirt with a heart on it. She was smiling at Jeremy, but she also had some tears in her eyes. The look on her face said it all. She never said anything, but her look clearly said, _Hello, Jeremy. I missed you_.

But now was not the time for emotion. There was still a song to sing. Jeremy decided not to sing the final verse, as it didn't reflect the sudden happiness that he felt right now, but he and Lena dueted for one final chorus. Together, they sang,

 _Sometimes it snows in April. Sometimes, I feel so, so bad.  
Sometimes I wish that life was never ending, and all good things, they say, never last._

As the final piano music from the recording finished, Jeremy and Lena gave each other an emotional hug on the stage. Lena whispered into his ear, "I love you, Jeremy." He whispered back, "I missed you so much." "I know. I did, too."

As they held each other tight, a huge round of cheers came from the audience. There were whistles and catcalls, but even more cheering in support of the two of them.

That's when Jeremy realized that the woman in the audience with the lump in her throat was Emily. And she was also cheering for them. Jeremy then grabbed the mic and said, "Thank you all very much for your support. I hoped you all liked this gig, because it's all over now." There were some groans in disappointment, but as Jeremy said, "But don't worry about it! I will be back!" The cheering started up again.

He led Lena off the stage and she led him over to where Emily was standing. She grabbed both him and her in a tight hug. "You're amazing, Jeremy!" Emily said. "And we're so glad we got to see it!"

"Hey-hey! What are you girls doing out here?" Jeremy said, with joyful tears in his eyes.

"It's Christmas! We wanted to come out and visit you!" Lena said.

"Thanks, girls. I think this is gonna be the best Christmas ever!" He was so happy to see them, but his happiness quickly faded away. He was happy to see them, but he had a lot to say. Also, he could hear a loud roar coming from somewhere.

"What's the matter, love?" Lena asked.

"Girls," Jeremy said, very seriously, "I have a lot that I need to explain to you."

"You can tell us later, love, but right now, let's go downstairs and grab a bite."

"I second that!" Emily said. "I am _starving_ right now. We haven't eaten since we left London!" The roar turned out to be from her stomach.

"OK, let's do this!" Jeremy said, and with his arms alone, he picked up the two girls and carried them downstairs.

"Wooo!" Emily whooped. "You are so strong!"

"Blimey, I didn't know you had it in you!"

Jeremy carefully walked down to the ground floor with him, and as he walked down, he jeered to one man who would come to his shows just to heckle him. "See this? I can pick up girls and you can't!" He shouted. The man gave him a middle finger in return.

"Who's that?" Lena asked.

"Just some idiot," Jeremy said.

They walked down to the restaurant and got themselves a table close to the bar. As they were waiting for the server to take their orders, Jeremy asked, "So you girls came all the way out here just to spend Christmas with me?"

"Well, not just that," Lena said. "You see, not only do we want to spend Christmas with you, we want to spend the rest of our lives with you as well. We're looking to buy a new home here."

"You mean you're leaving London?" Jeremy asked. "But I thought Overwatch had placed you guys there. Did you talk to them about this move?"

"I don't need to," Lena said. "I quit Overwatch two weeks ago."

…

…

…

 **Yep. Another cliffhanger. I do this just to keep readers invested in my stories.**

 **With that said, I know that in my last chapter, I said that this one would be my last. However, right now, I am officially going back on that statement. My original plan was to have the final chapter be one long one, spanning at least 20,000 words and having lots of things go on during it. But then I realized that my readers would probably feel more comfortable with having the chapter split up into several parts for easy reading, especially since so much is going on here. And on top of that, I even thought of some more story to tell here, enough for me to keep this going for yet a few more chapters.**

 **So, going back on what I said earlier, this isn't the end. More is coming.**

 **For those of you who are wondering, the song that Jeremy/Scout sings at the end is not my own. It's "Sometimes it Snows in April" by Prince, with some lyrics changed to reflect Jeremy's current state. I hope I don't get any takedown notices for this, especially since I will not be making any money or profit from this fanfiction.**

 **Also, I apologize for the long wait. A lot of things have come up. In addition to final exams going on at college, which I had to study for, I also thought this chapter needed some significant revision before I published it. Originally, Tracer and Emily would break into Scout's house and surprise him there, but I thought it would be much more powerful to make their reunion with Jeremy a more emotional one.**

 **One more thing. I would** _ **desperately**_ **like someone to create a picture from Chapter 12 showing Scout crying into Tracer's shoulder with both her and Emily trying to comfort him. I want to use it for the cover picture for my fiction, one of which I currently do not have.**

 **Thanks for reading, and despite what I said last chapter, more is coming!**


	18. Chapter 18: My Requests (Not Story)

**Hello, everyone. GodRocker here. I am posting this to say to all of you that….**

…

…

…

…

…

 **I am NOT discontinuing this fanfiction.**

 **I bet you thought I was posting this real short page to say that, didn't you? A lot of other writers on this site decide to abandon their stories apparently because they've lost interest or some other bullshit like that, and just generally don't care anymore.**

 **Not me. I write this story clear till the end.**

 **And I know that in an earlier chapter, I said that the last chapter would be the last one I posted. But I decided to keep it going for a bit longer, so don't worry about that.**

 **The REAL reason why I am posting this short, non-story chapter is to ask a few questions to my audience.**

 **First off, how would you people feel about me doing an Emily-centric chapter? I have done chapters in this story that take place from Scout and Tracer's points of view, but I realize I have not done one like that for Emily. How would you people feel about me doing something like that? Please post reviews to let me know.**

 **Speaking of reviews, I am disappointed in that my last chapter barely got any. I want people to post reviews to my story, even one that are critical of it, so that I'll know if people like it. I especially want people to tell me what they thought of the ending of the last chapter, which I think is one of my best efforts so far. Not only Scout and Tracer's reunion, but also Tracer's last words in the chapter (in which she says she quit Overwatch). Those are some big events that happen in this chapter, and I really want to know what people think of them.**

 **So, please,** _ **please**_ **, PLEASE, if you are reading this story, even if you're just a guest with no account on this website, please take some time to post a review to my page after you're finished reading. I never censor feedback, not even critical feedback. The only reviews I've deleted so far are a couple of duplicates.**

 **Also, I am getting desperate for someone to make some fanart of this story, so that I can post it as the cover page for this fiction.**

 **Just a recap: I want some art of the scene in Chapter 12, where Scout is crying on Tracer's shoulder, while both she and Emily are trying to comfort him. I would do this myself, but unfortunately, I have no talent as an artist.**

 **If someone gives me a picture of this, I will be sure to credit that person for his/her work.**

 **That's all I have to say now. Thanks for taking your time to read this, and since this story is not finished yet, stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19: Welcome to Scout's Graceland

" **Oh I'm also planning on writing a fanfic for the first time pretty soon. Any advice to offer?" – IamBecomeSnail**

 **This is going to be advice for anyone reading here: First of all, forget that the characters you're writing about are fictional. Pretend they're real. Put them in situations you could see yourself in.**

 **Second, forget that your story is non canon. Pretend you're actually working for Blizzard or Valve or whoever, and that this work will become canon. So start with what already is established canon, and then think what could be canon?**

 **For example, Tracer gets easily excited, so couldn't she also get easily angry and/or emotional?**

 **Also, Scout grew up without a father and seven older brothers, wouldn't that have a negative effect on him? A lot of guys with such heavy baggage try to act tough and intimidating (similar to Scout in TF2) to hide all that from everyone else.**

 **Plus, Scout is shown to be a huge fan of Tom Jones. Wouldn't it make sense if he was a fan of other 1960's bands/artists, such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, etc.?**

 **That's my advice to anyone wanting to write stories.**

" **While I feel for Tracer when Overwatch tore itself apart, I do believe she is no Zenyatta and would have no power to make any change that can remind the "Heroes" of their main purpose... speaking of which, where the hell was Zenyatta through all this anyways?" – Ganxi**

 **You're right. She is no Zenyatta, but she's not trying to be. She doesn't make Overwatch see their true purpose, they do that themselves after she walks out on them.**

 **As for why The Police's namesake hero isn't in this, it becomes hard to find other things to do for the other characters when you've decided to specifically make it about Scout and Tracer.**

" **Maybe a getting the band back together story may seem the most logical." – Apologetic**

 **You really believe that Overwatch is on a mission from God, do you?**

" **Your last two chapters were amazing. They actually brought tears to my eyes. Good job on that.** **I hope the adventures of the Mercs and Overwatch don't end there. Something should happen that brings them all together.** **I love that Simpsons reference btw." – Lord Demolitions**

 **I tried to make it an emotional reunion between them. I'm glad to see it worked.**

 **As for the Simpsons reference, it was in a bar, so I just** _ **had**_ **to include one in. I wanted it to be my own joke (P. Ness has never been used on the show), but I wanted it to feel like it would be on** _ **The Simpsons**_ **. I thought people would react more to the gory threat.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews. Please leave them whenever you read this chapter, even if you're a guest with no account. It means a lot to know that people like this. So, here's the chapter most of you have been waiting for.**

 _Four months ago:_

It was a cold night in London. A young red-haired woman was drinking a cup of hot chocolate in her house. Her girlfriend had just left to go back to Gibraltar for another one of her various missions. Recently, life had not been pleasant for either one of those two. Emily had missed Lena whenever she left her to do whatever Overwatch needed her to do. And Lena just had to say goodbye to a very good friend of hers, and she hated doing this, because he was very emotionally unstable and she was afraid of letting him go without knowing that he was going to be alright in his new life. Emily recalled emails that Lena had sent her:

 _Emily, my eyes have not been dry lately._

 _Jeremy's gone to Portland last night. Why would he leave me? Doesn't he know that I care so much about him? I just can't sleep knowing that he may be the biggest wreck in the town. What if he tries to kill himself again? And I won't be there to stop him!_

Emily was worried. After reading so many of these, she just knew that Lena was giving herself so much stress and she was concerned on how that would affect her mental health. She replied back as often she could, but she didn't know how much of a difference she was making.

But Emily had to admit: She missed Jeremy, too, although not as much Lena did. Emily noticed his absence and wished that she could see him again, but the tone that Lena's emails had implied that she couldn't live without him. Emily didn't get jealous over this. There was a time when she did, but Lena had assured her that the love she had for Jeremy was more like a family love than a romantic love. Lena even said that she was shocked by how much she loved him, as she didn't think she had any feelings for him except as just friendly acquaintances. That is, until the day he attempted suicide. All of a sudden, it was as if Lena's feelings about him changed completely. Which, she would admit, they did.

Though not to the extent that Lena did, Emily also missed Jeremy. She thought he was a very gifted person, both at running and especially at music. She still had the bass guitar that she bought from their trip to Guitar Center and really wanted Jeremy to teach her how to play it. She didn't know why. Maybe playing in clubs with some bands could be a hobby for her to do whenever Lena was away, which now seemed to be all the time.

Emily soon found out one reason why Lena wanted him to stay in London so badly. Another email she got from Lena read:

 _I feel so guilty for leaving you all by yourself in our house. Not only that, but I'm off doing very dangerous things, like fighting terrorists groups such as Talon, and you must be worried sick over what I'm doing and even more,_ how _I'm doing._

 _I hoped that if Jeremy agreed to stay in that apartment, he could keep you company while I was away and assure you that I'm all right._

 _I also hoped you could do the same for him. Let him know that he has friends who will always be there for him when he needs it._

Any remaining doubts she might have had over Lena's love for her were gone when she read that email. She felt so loved from hearing that her girlfriend didn't want her to be living alone in fear and paranoia for all her life. She wanted her to look after Jeremy, probably to prevent another attempt at his life.

But it didn't matter now. Jeremy was gone, and neither Lena nor Emily saw a way to bring him back. Maybe they could, but it would probably take a lot of effort, and even then, it wasn't guaranteed he would return.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Two months later:_

Emily hoped that things would get better for Lena. She hoped that over time, she would get over losing her close friend and move on with life. But it didn't turn out that way at all. The emails she got from Lena only hinted that things had gotten worse.

 _Where is Jeremy? Why won't he call me? I'm getting so worried about him! I just have to hold on to the hope that he's still alive, and that he's just busy!_

It wasn't just Jeremy that was giving Lena the blues. Emily saw through these emails that even worse things were going on.

 _Overwatch is tearing itself apart, Emily. Just this morning, McCree got into a fight with Genji and Hanzo, and…and…it got violent. McCree gave Hanzo a right hook in the face, and I think Genji broke one of Junkrat's ribs._

 _This fighting has been going on for a long time. It's not getting any better. When is all this going to end?!_

Emily knew she had to do something. She now understood how Lena felt seeing Jeremy torture himself over her, because now she was seeing Lena suffer at her job. Even though she couldn't actually _see_ her, she could feel all the pain and torment that Lena was feeling. She couldn't stand it. _What kind of girlfriend would I be if I just let her keep doing this?_

She constantly emailed back to her, telling her that she could call her whenever she felt down, at least. Definitely call her if she _ever_ felt like the world was collapsing all around her, and if she felt like everybody was against her. Emily would assure Lena that her own girlfriend wouldn't be that way.

 _One month and three weeks later…_

The email that Emily received that night was all she needed to here. Not only had things had Overwatch gotten worse, but they came to a head that night. Winston and Pharah had a huge fight against each other in the mess hall, and it broke Lena's heart so much that she ran out of the HQ and sought shelter in a church, of all places. Lena was never religious, so the fact that she chose to look for help in a church instead of within Overwatch meant that the group was in serious turmoil. Finally, Emily decided that she needed to break the news to Lena. It was painful to do, but Emily knew that the pain would only be worse if she never said it.

 _Lena, sweetie, I know how much Overwatch means to you. I know that helping the world and saving people is your life. I know you trained yourself with weapons and taught yourself how to be a pilot to join Overwatch and do good for the world, and I am so proud of you and everything you have accomplished. I could not get a better girlfriend if I asked for one._

 _That being said, I have to break it to you. You won't like hearing this, but you must._

 _Overwatch, along with Jeremy leaving, has taken its' toll on you. You have to quit. You have to leave the group. You're only making yourself miserable in it, and it's hurting me so much to see you reduced to this level. There are so few reasons for you to stay now. Please leave the group as soon as you can. I know it sounds like I'm betraying you as I say this, because I'm no longer supportive of your dreams, but your dreams have become nightmares. I can tell from the emails you send me. You can try all you want, but you can't take any more of this._

 _Please come back. We'll think of something we can do._

 _Lots of love, as always,_

 _Emily._

She didn't know what Lena would say when she saw that. She might indeed scream betrayal at Emily for asking her to leave her dream job. But she needed to speak her mind. She was watching Lena's sanity decay and she couldn't have any more of it. She only hoped that Lena wouldn't take this so badly once she saw it.

 _The next day_ :

It was late in the evening. Emily had just come back to the house after having a facial at the local salon. She liked it. Her face felt so much cleaner and brighter now. She went to check her email, and saw that Lena responded back to her. To her surprise, Lena didn't appear to be angry or betrayed by what she sent to her the other night. Lena's message was short and sweet.

 _Love, you were right._

 _With all this inner turmoil going on, I've realized I can no longer stay on Overwatch. I handed in my resignation today, and I'm coming home now._

Emily was relieved and overjoyed. She made a difference. Lena listened and knew that it was time to abandon her dream job, which was now her nightmare job. But that wasn't all she said.

 _There's something else you should know, too._

( _Flashback_ )

The next morning, Lena came down from her bedroom to the mess hall. Everyone was sitting around the table. Nobody said a word. Everyone ate in silence. But despite this, Lena could feel the tensions mounting between the members. She saw McCree glaring at Hanzo. She saw Genji with his fists clenched, and she knew he wanted to rip Junkrat's head off his shoulders. And she knew that despite everything they said, Winston and Pharah wanted a second round in the ring.

Lena saw the email that Emily sent her and she knew that she was right. Overwatch was tearing itself apart and she couldn't have it anymore. She tried her best to hold it in, but she couldn't. She snapped and shouted, "I can't take this anymore! I didn't join this team to hear how much everyone hates each other! I thought our purpose was to be heroes! Does the world really need heroes if they all hate each other?" Everyone stared at this statement, but once again, no one spoke. Then Lena said, "That's it! I've had enough! Winston, I have something for you!" She tossed a rolled of paper in Winston's direction. Winston caught it, unrolled it, and almost choked on the banana and peanut butter sandwich he was eating.

"Lena…" He was speechless. "You…You can't be serious about this…"

"What is it?" Pharah asked, suddenly concerned. She looked over Winston's shoulder and saw what the gorilla was holding. She too was shocked. "Lena…You can't do this…"

"What? What is it?" D. Va asked.

Tracer stood up and said, "It's my letter of resignation," she said bluntly.

Everyone either choked or spat out whatever they were eating on. No one could believe what they just heard. _Lena Oxton, AKA Tracer, is leaving us?!_

"Look, Lena, if it's about last night, Winston and I are very sorry, and-"

"NO!" She screamed. "No you're not! You've always wanted to do that! You still want to do it! I can feel it! I can't spend one more day here! This is it! Goodbye, everyone! I'm gone!" And she ran out of the mess hall.

Everyone frantically got up from their seats and ran after Lena.

"Lena! You can't do this!" Mei shouted.

"You're the face of the group! You can't just leave!" Symmetra shouted.

"We're very sorry for our dishonorable acts!" Hanzo shouted. "We will change our ways!"

But Tracer wouldn't listen to any of this. She ran outside, towards her prized jet.

"NO!" Winston shouted in horror. "Not the Slipstream! We still haven't fixed its' time travel issues!" He had been meaning to for the last several years, but he kept putting it off, mostly due to Lena becoming an Overwatch hero and abandoning her pilot dreams.

Tracer didn't hear this. She already got into the cockpit and fired up the engines. "I hope I'm still a good pilot," she said uncertainly.

"LENA, NO!" Pharah shouted.

But it was too late. Tracer already took off. And sure enough, to Winston's expectations and horror, the plane was malfunctioning again. Winston cringed as he covered his eyes. The past was repeating itself. It was a very bad nightmare that he hoped he would never live through again.

Then the plane was gone. It vanished into thin air.

Everyone stood and gasped. Pharah and Symmetra looked whiter than they had ever been in their lives. Several of the heroes forgot how to breathe in that one split minute.

Winston had taken it the worst. As one of the people who felt solely responsible for Lena's resignation, he also felt guilty for this. It was bad enough for him to watch again, but for Lena to relive this horror made him feel even worse. He was hyperventilating. All he could think at that moment was _Ohshitohshitohshitohshitwhatdoidowhatdoidowhatdoido_. Then he said to himself, "OK, OK. Calm down. First rule of Overwatch, always remain calm. This has happened before. We were able to find her, and she was just…split across time. And now she has her accelerator, so it should be easier…than…before…right…" After catching a few more deep breaths, he cleared his throat, and shouted, "Alright everybody! We've done this before and we found her. Surely we can do it again! Pinpoint every possible destination she could be at every moment in time!"

Everyone immediately scrambled back into the HQ to begin the search for Tracer. Winston was worried. Despite his thoughts, he wasn't sure if his plan would work.

But to his surprise, they found Lena quickly, in just a few hours. She was only a few years away. The plane took a little damage from the accident, but Tracer only had minor injuries.

"Lena!" Winston shouted. "You're alive! Oh, I'm so glad we found you! If we lost you, I don't know what we would have done!"

Lena was still angry at Winston for what happened earlier, but she put that aside from now, seeing how relieved he was at seeing her again. She gave him a hug.

"I'm surprised we found you so quickly. I thought we would have to do a long and in-depth search like we did all those years ago. It must have been that chronal accelerator of yours that kept you anchored where you were."

"Yeah, it must have been that," Lena said, a little irritated, but much more delighted at hearing how much Winston cared.

But then the two of them noticed something most unusual. "Hey, speaking of your accelerator, why isn't it working right now?"

Tracer looked down. She saw that its' lights were off. This obviously meant that the device itself had been turned off. She opened up a control panel, and tried flicking the power switch off and on again. But to her fright, it wasn't working. The accelerator remained off despite all this. "Oh no," she gasped. "It's not working. Why isn't it working?!" She was panting heavily. She didn't know what could come out of this. "If it's not working, I'll split across time again! I'll always be stuck in one place or the other without any way to-" Then she stopped. "Hang on," she realized. "If that's what happens when the accelerator doesn't work, why isn't it doing it now?"

Everyone turned in her direction. She was right. The accelerator was turned off, but somehow, she remained anchored in the present without it.

Winston was most shocked. "How it this possible?! By all laws of time physics, you shouldn't be here! You should be flickering on and off between here and some other time! This doesn't make any sense! The only thing that could possibly explain this would be-" He stopped short of finishing his sentence.

Everyone gasped. They were all picking up on what Winston was saying.

"So," Lena said, with a weak smile on her face and some tears coming down, "Does this mean…?"

"The first time accident you were in split your body all across time. It looks like this one…put you back together again."

Tracer couldn't believe what she heard. She considered herself a prisoner of time. As long as she lived, she would have been cursed to spend her life always separated and never whole again. Now, all of a sudden, in the very same accident that put her in this position, she was freed from it. Tears of joy were coming down from her eyes. "I'm…I'm…"

"Lena," Winston said, "You're free!"

Tracer's happiness was at an all-time peak. This was such wonderful news to her. After years of being caught in and out of time, finally, all of her, every part of her, was assembled together, in the same place, and at the same time. She was so happy.

Unfortunately, her happiness was short-lived. As she was doing a victory dance, a dark thought crossed her mind. "Wait a minute, if I'm all together again, can I still control my 'own time'?" She asked Winston.

The gorilla froze. He stared at the other heroes, hoping they might have an answer, but no one did. "I…I don't know, Lena…Let's try…"

Tracer tried to pull off a fighting move of hers which involved travelling a few seconds forward or backward in time, but it didn't work. As a result of being completely assembled again, she lost all of the curses that came with being scattered throughout time. But she also lost the benefits of it as well. When she was all over time, she could hop from Point A to Point B with ease, but now that she back in one piece, she couldn't.

Tracer's happiness suddenly crashed as she realized that she lost her powers. She lost the very things that made her an excellent hero. Now she was just an ordinary person again with no special powers. She cried again, but this time it was not out of happiness.

Winston patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lena, but you can't be an Overwatch hero anymore. You haven't shown any other fighting techniques that you can do, and we already have all of the heroes that we need. We have our powerful soldiers," referring to 76 and Pharah, "Our doctor, our engineers, our demolitions experts, our snipers," this time referring to Ana instead of the recently departed Widowmaker, "Even our heavy weapons guy, or shall I say, girl? I'm sorry, Lena, but you have no choice but to step down as a hero. But if you'd like, I can re-recruit you as a pilot, the very thing you signed up for years ago."

( _End Flashback_ )

 _I mean, I could have stayed. I could have gone back to being a pilot, and pretended like this whole thing never happened. Winston seemed to think that this was something I could easily forget._

 _Well, maybe he could just leave it behind, but I couldn't. I spent five years on Overwatch as a crime-fighting hero. I had special abilities that other people only dreamed of having. And in just one day, ironically, the same way I got my powers, I lost them. I couldn't forget this. All these memories are going to be with me forever._

 _And you were right. Being on Overwatch was chipping away at my sanity. I couldn't take it anymore. So, instead of switching careers, I decided instead to resign completely._

 _Winston didn't take it well. I mean, he and I had such a strong bond over the years. Emphasis on "had." He may have said that he loved and cared about me, but all sorts of fighting was going on in Overwatch, and not only did he not try to stop it, but he actually took a part in it. He was fighting with Pharah, who I liked at his my adopting mother. What kind of loving parents do that to their children?_

 _So, don't worry anymore, Emily. It's over. It's done. Tomorrow morning, I'm getting in the Slipstream, which is being repaired right now and I'm flying home to you._

 _I love you very much. See you soon._

 _Lena._

After she finished reading, Emily was happy. Not only did Lena not look at her as a traitor, but she actually thought her advice was good advice. Emily was happy. She knew that better times were ahead for both of them.

She sat back in her chair and sighed in relaxation. But that didn't last long. "Oh!" She shouted, snapping her fingers and standing up. "I have to get the house ready! I gotta get stuff picked up and cleaned up!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

December 21st, 2077.

Watchpoint, Gibraltar, the headquarters for Overwatch.

Lena walked out of the main entrance of the base. This would be the last time she would ever do so. She was no longer wearing her Tracer outfit. Instead, she was wearing her normal clothes and carrying a few bags with her. Some of it was her own stuff, others were going-away presents that each of the Overwatch heroes had given her. They wanted to throw a going-away party for Lena, but she said no. She wanted to leave as quickly as she could.

But she didn't leave without doing a few last things. As she was all in the same time again, she no longer needed her chronal accelerator, so she went into Mercy's sickbay and had her remove it. The process of removing it was much more simple than putting it in. Mercy still had one of Medic's Medi-Guns, so she was able to easily numb Tracer's nerves so that she wouldn't feel any pain and after it was gone, she used it to seal her chest back up again in seconds. All in all, it was a much quicker and much more painless way of performing operations than what she was used to.

She stepped outside the base. She walked forward a little bit, and stopped. She said nothing, but she looked back at the base and pondered for a moment. Overwatch was a very important part of her life. It always meant so much to her to be a hero and save innocent people from harm's way. But now Overwatch was decaying into turmoil and corruption, and as much as hurt her to do it, she just couldn't have any more of it. It was a hard and painful decision to make, but it was one that she had to. She feared that if she stayed there any longer, she might go crazy and commit suicide herself, and after seeing Jeremy almost doing it, she knew how much certain people, particularly her girlfriend, would be hurt by it. Besides, maybe a new life was what she needed for quite a while now. Picking up her bags, she walked over to the Slipstream, threw her bags into the cargo area, which was already filled with boxes of her other belongings, turned on the engines, and flew away without looking back.

This time around, there were no accidents, in either space or time. She flew her plane all the way from Gibraltar to London with no problems whatsoever.

Emily met her at the airport. Once Lena parked the Slipstream, she got off, and warmly embraced her girlfriend. The shared a long and passionate hug and kiss.

"Oh, Lena. I'm so glad you came back."

"So am I, love."

"I know this was hard for you, but-"

"I think in the long run, you will be right, love. Overwatch was becoming unbearable, and I could feel my health deteriorating."

They continued to hug, but then Lena suddenly broke it off. "You wanna help me unload, love? I got a ton of stuff we need to take back."

"Oh, right!" Emily said. "I got a rental truck. You unload from there, and I'll load it on the truck."

"Cheers, love."

An hour later, the truck was loaded, and Lena had parked the Slipstream into a small plane shed on the tarmac. She hopped in the truck, and the two girls began the two-hour-long drive back to their house.

"So how do you feel now, Lena?" Emily asked.

"Much better. Thanks for telling me to quit."

"I know you loved being a hero, but I just couldn't watch you suffer like that. No girl would ever let her girlfriend suffer like that, or any friend of hers, for that matter."

"I know. I'm starting to know how Jeremy felt when he tried to kill himself."

"Feeling like nobody loved him?"

"Yep." Her voice trailed off. She started thinking about Jeremy again. All the way out in Portland, all by himself, probably wondering where she was and how she was doing. The thought of that suddenly killed Lena's happy mood. She was about to sniffle, when Emily said, "Hey Lena? Are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm fine, love." But she didn't sound very convincing.

"OK…" Emily said, doubtful.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _The next day…_

It was three days before Christmas. Lena realized it was the perfect time for her to leave Overwatch. She wanted more than anything else to come home and spend Christmas with her girlfriend, but she wasn't sure if she could. Until she quit, of course. Now, nothing mattered anymore. All she knew was that this Christmas was going to be a very happy one. Emily even had the house all decorated for the occasion. She was now in the kitchen, making some hot chocolate for herself and Lena.

"So, Lena, now that you're off Overwatch, what are you going to do with your life? We need to do something to keep the money rolling in."

"I know," she said. "I haven't really thought about that much. I can probably get a job as an airline pilot. Maybe I could even become a cop. Y'know, something I could do to put my skills to good use."

"Well, at least you have some ideas. I personally wish you would think of this before you quit, though. I'm a little uncertain about the future now.

Actually, did I see a guitar case in the truck?"

"Yep. One night, during some fighting, I went back to Guitar Center and bought myself that and a few other things."

"Perfect! Maybe we can play some music together. Huh? Maybe even make a living off of that. I know how you want to make people smile and be happy. Maybe instead of fighting crime and being a hero, you can do it with music. I just wish Jeremy taught me some more about how to play this damn thing before he left."

 _Jeremy_ , Lena thought. She wouldn't deny that her life had significantly improved since she was reunited with Emily, but she couldn't fool herself that there was still one large, gaping hole in her life. A hole which not even Emily could fill. Only one person could do it, and he was all the way on the other side of the planet. Lena sniffled. She missed Jeremy so much.

"Lena?"

"Huh?" She sobbed and looked up at Emily.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? And don't me nothing's wrong. I know something's bothering you."

"Well…" She hesitated. "It's…It's-"

"It's about Jeremy, isn't it? You started thinking of him after I brought it up."

She cried. "Yes, yes it is. I miss him. Why did he leave us? I only want to spend the rest of my life with him. And you, of course. Is that asking too much? I don't even want to cheat on you with him. I just want him to live next to me so that I can…" She couldn't stop crying. She only hoped that Emily wouldn't get jealous.

She didn't. In fact, she understood how Lena felt. She was missing him, too. She put her hand around her crying girlfriend's shoulder. She didn't get jealous, because she knew that Lena would never replace her, and she didn't want to. She wanted both her and him in her life, each for a different reason. She thought about what she could do to make her stop crying, then she came up with an idea. "Lena, I know what to do."

"W-What?"

"Let's take a trip out to Portland and visit him." Lena stopped crying and looked up. "Even better, we'll spend Christmas with him. Nobody should be alone on Christmas."

"You-You'll do that?" Lena asked.

"Exactly. You said that we should be together during the Holidays, but you didn't say we had to be together in England. We could be anywhere. Iraq, Panama, the Bahamas, the Arctic, as long as we're together, it makes no difference.

In fact, I'll even go one step further. Let's go to Portland, spend Christmas with Jeremy, and look for a new home there."

Lena was speechless. "Are-Are you suggesting that we…move there?"

"You have a hole in your life that only one person can fill. I only want you to be happy, Lena. And I know that he does, too. Let's go Portland and do some house-hunting there."

Lena never loved Emily more than she did right now. The fact that her girlfriend would do all this for her made her feel like the most important girl in the world. And with her being off Overwatch now, it didn't matter where they lived anymore.

Lena pulled Emily closer to her into another kiss. One with so much love and passion that they stayed embraced for five whole minutes. They were in another universe now, wrapped in their love for each other. Nothing else mattered. There could be a Talon attack in the London square right now, and that wouldn't matter. The love they were sharing was much more important.

When they finally broke away, Lena, now perky again, shouted, "What are we doin', standing around here? We have a trip to plan."

"I'll buy us some airline tickets, you get our bags packed," Emily said. "Hopefully, we'll leave tomorrow."

"I love you!"

"So do I."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _December 23_ _rd_ _. Right Friggin' Now._

Lena and Emily got off their plane at Portland International Airport. They were on their way to the baggage claim area, when Emily pointed down to the ground they were walking on.

"And there it is. There's the carpet that I hear these people take so much pride in."

Lena smiled. The carpet did indeed have a very unique design. And Emily was right. The people of Portland saw it as an icon. Everywhere they walked, they saw gift shops and souvenir stands selling coffee mugs, cup mats, rugs, suitcases, and other supplies colored in the style of the distinct carpet.

They later passed a wine tasting shop in the airport. According to some pamphlets that Emily read, it was the first tasting room in a United States Airport ever, opened some sixty years ago. She made an offer to try some, but Lena said, "Don't you think it's a little too early for a drink, love? Besides, we had some wine on the plane, remember?"

Instead, they walked straight to the baggage return carousel. After the picked up their suitcases, Lena said, "Well, you have the address, right love?"

"In my pocket."

"Good. How do we get there?"

"Well, we can rent a car…"

"Waste of time," Lena bluntly said. "I hear the parking in this town is dreadful."

"Or we can take a shuttle bus, or go by… _train?_ " Emily asked, confused. She saw a sign for a public transit train, which she saw as odd because not many towns in the States used trains for mass transit. The only ones she could think of off the top of her head were New York and Chicago. She never heard of Portland having anything like that. But then again, the city's motto was, "Keep Portland Weird."

She walked over to a train official standing by the station and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Does this train go to Portland?"

"You bet it does," the man smiled. "Goes all the way out to Beaverton."

Beaverton? Emily had no clue where _that_ was, but hearing that it went to Portland was enough for her. "Hey Lena? Let's get on this train."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The train ride into Portland was much longer than they thought. What seemed like such a simple road from the Airport to Downtown turned into a long and grueling ride. The train would always stop for whatever reason, and even though the cars driving on the highway next to the line were stuck in traffic, Emily was sure they would have gotten into Portland faster that way.

When they finally got off at their stop, they immediately walked to the apartment where Scout was said to live in, but when they got there, they found someone else living there. Someone they didn't expect to see at all.

"Emily, are you sure you have the right address?"

"He gave this to me personally before he left."

"If you're talking about the guy who was here before me," the tenant of the apartment said, "He moved out a few days ago. I don't know where he went, though." And he slammed the door.

They walked back outside. There was a lot of people running around, obviously doing some last-minute Christmas shopping.

"Well, now what?" Lena asked. "Do you know where he is now?"

Emily looked glum. "Nope. Not a clue."

"Oh no," Lena sobbed. "What do we do now? I don't know where he is, I don't know what he's doing, I don't know what-" Emily yanked Lena back onto the curb just as she was about to bit hit by an incoming car that she wasn't paying attention to see.

"Oh, thanks love."

"No problem, but _please_ pay attention to where you're going! I might not be able to save you next time!"

"Save me…I just hope I can save Jeremy. I just want to know where he is. I want to know how he's doing. I want to know that he's feeling perfect, like there's nothing wrong with him at all!"

"Uh, Lena?"

"And if something is bad, I want to assure him that everything's OK!"

"Lena?"

"Oh, this is a disaster, Emily, how can we-"

"Lena!"

"-spend our Christmas with him now? I don't-"

" _Lena!_ "

Lena snapped out of her rant. "What?!"

"I think our search is over," Emily said, pointing to a sign above her. The sign, attached to the adjacent building, read:

CRYSTAL BALLROOM

JEREMY THE SCOUT

DECEMBER 23RD

ONE NIGHT ONLY.

"It's very simple. We'll just pop in, say hi to him, invite him to dinner, and ask him where he lives now. And then go there with him and crash there for a few nights."

"Emily, this is why I love you. You always see the answer even when I don't." Lena smiled. She felt better now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Later that same evening…_

Lena and Emily showed up at the Crystal Ballroom just minutes before Jeremy was due to start his show. They were surprised to see that it also doubled as a restaurant and brewery. But it didn't matter. They could have dinner here after the show.

They walked up to the third floor ballroom, and were just in time. They grabbed a table and sat through the show. Once he announced that he was going to play a very slow and somber song, Lena froze. She had a very distinct clue why he was doing it. Sure enough, the first lyrics in the song mentioned her by name.

It was a very sad moment. Lena and Emily could feel all the pain and anguish that he was going through in his voice. Emily felt choked up. She tried her best to hold it in, and she was able to. Lena, however, decided that she needed to show up to him _now_. It couldn't wait, not even until his performance was finished. She walked up to a security guard and was able to smooth-talk him into letting her on the stage to sing with him.

After she unexpectedly appeared on stage and sang the closing chorus with him, the ballroom roared with applause. They hugged in front of everyone, and Jeremy couldn't help but sneak a few quick kisses on her cheek. After they got off stage, they returned to Emily's table, and then Jeremy took them downstairs for dinner. It was there where Lena broke the news to Jeremy that she quit Overwatch.

Jeremy was shocked. "You can't be serious."

"I am," Lena said.

"But why? I thought being there was your life!"

"It was, but-" And she told him the whole story: the in-house fighting, the yearning for her best friends, even the time accident which ended both the blessings and curses of being a prisoner of time.

"Wow. I can't believe you went through all that. What a buncha jerks those guys are for doing this to you."

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is I'm home. I'm with my girlfriend, and we're gonna spend Christmas with you." Jeremy was surprised to hear this, but he quickly felt happy about it instead. "We thought you missed us, too."

"Yeah, I really did. Ever since I left, I've been asking myself if I made the right choice by leaving you."

"Well then, you'll be pleased to hear that Lena and I are moving out here," Emily said.

Jeremy choked on the glass of Terminator Stout that he was drinking. "W-What?"

"Yep. We both decided that it was best. We want you to stay with us, but since you turned us down on that, we decided we'll stay with you instead."

Jeremy was unsure how to feel about this. After all, he did leave them because he didn't want his envy to ruin their relationship. Still, he did long for Lena, and now he was getting what he wanted.

"While we're talking about it," Lena said. "We went to your apartment and saw that you moved out. Where did you live now?"

"Oh, that. I live out by the beach now."

"The _beach?!_ " Emily shouted.

"Yeah, I saved up my money and bought some land in this town called Cannon Beach, and I built my dream house there." And he told them why.

"Well," Emily said, grinning at her girlfriend. "Living by the beach, eh? You know what this means, Lena?"

"You bet I do."

"What? What does it mean?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"You'll see soon enough," Lena said, grinning. "But for now, let's order some food. Emily and I are starving!"

They started their dinner with a large plate of Cajun tater tots. It was one of the house specialties of the Crystal Ballroom, and the entire McMenamins chain, for that matter. The Cajun seasoning definitely had a real kick to it. Sometimes it got a bit too spicy for Emily, and she had to keep refilling her glass.

Jeremy ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg, and on the side, a cup of clam chowder. His logic was that in this one single meal, he would be getting his fill of beef, pork, poultry, and seafood all at once. The girls ordered a large Barbecue Chicken pizza to split. The three of them ate like pigs, but they didn't care. It was so nice to be able to have a nice dinner together again.

Finally, it was time for dessert. Each ordered a black and tan brownie. That is, a fudgy brownie with a scoop of ice cream and covered in chocolate and caramel sauces. As a compliment on the house, they were each given a cup of coffee to go with it.

After they finished eating, they paid the bill, which was split between the three of them, and then Jeremy showed them to his sleek, brand-new Mercedes-Benz outside. He loaded his gear and equipment into the trunk, then helped the girls with their luggage. Not all of it would fit in the trunk, so some had to go in the backseat. As Jeremy hopped in the driver's seat, Lena was about to jump in the back with Emily, but the latter insisted that she should ride shotgun.

The three were off to embark on the hour-and-a-half-long trip to the beach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The drive to Cannon Beach was very long. The car passed by exit after exit, driving under streetlamps and seeing the light from each lamp briefly shining through the car before fading away and being replaced by the next lamp. Traffic was very light. Only a few other cars were out and about so late at night.

None of them cared that the drive was so long, least of all, Lena. She was with her girlfriend and best friend for the first time in a long time. She wanted this to last for as long as it could. Every so often, she would strike up a conversation and/or laugh with Jeremy, talking about whatever. At one point, it was about her time-travel accident which resulted in her chronal accelerator finally being removed from her.

But at another point, it got more serious. "I'm beginning to think that being on Overwatch hasn't done me any good at all," she said. "I mean, look at me! I was the youngest pilot ever to join the forces! I had special powers other people only dreamed of having! I could take down any criminal with ease!

And what do I have to show for all that? Nothing but a piece of metal stuck between my breasts." Jeremy had to put forth all the stamina that he had to prevent getting an erection from hearing those last two words. "The public hates me," Lena went on, "The government hates me, and even my own organization hates me." She knew that last part wasn't true, but with all the fighting going on, she did feel very unloved.

Finally, after a long drive, they finally got to his house. When they stepped out of the car, Lena and Emily got a good look at the houses they would be staying in. It was a very big house. It looked a lot like a mansion. In some ways, maybe it was. In the distance, the girls could hear the sounds of seagulls cawing and ocean waves crashing.

"Wow," said an amazed Lena. "It's so…big."

"Yep. It's my own Graceland. My own Paisley Park. It has everything I've ever wanted. I don't know what I'd do without my Tom Jones stuff and all that millions of mercenary dollars!" He helped to unload their luggage, and led them into the house.

It was a very stylish house. As they walked in, there was a nice living room with a sofa, a table, some reclining chairs, some plants hanging in pots from the ceiling, which had an overhead window on it to let in some light. Not that it mattered now. It was dark outside. Still, there happened to be a full moon out that night, and some moonlight was shining through.

Emily was very curious as to what was inside this house. He showed them past a lot of rooms which didn't appear to exist in an ordinary house. Neither did an elevator, but Jeremy had one of those in his house as well. He led the girls into it.

"Where are we going, love?" Lena asked.

"To where you'll be staying," he said. "It's a…little basement room that I built in the house just in case ma and dad wanted to stay here. They're not here right now, they're still enjoying their trip to France, but I think this is probably the best spot for you girls to stay in right now."

They reached the basement floor. As Jeremy led them out, they saw another living room. Again, simple setup, with a couch and a TV and even a kitchenette in the corner. It was all much smaller and more condensed than above as this was to be his parents' living space.

The laundry room was also downstairs. So was a room in the corner with a sign on it saying, "WINE ROOM." Lena smacked her lips in anticipation. Emily read her mind and grinned at her. In another corner was some storage closets and right next to those was a weight room. Inside, there were bench presses, barbells, a treadmill, an exercise bike, chin-up bars, all sorts of workout equipment.

He showed them into the bedroom. It was not very large, but it was very stylish. There was a king-sized bed in the center, and around the room, there were two dressers and two closets. This was obviously a bedroom meant for two people. There was a fan on the ceiling, and an air conditioner in the large window opposite the bed, which offered a terrific view of the Pacific Ocean. In the corner, there was also a bathroom, complete with a polished marble floor and fluorescent lights. There were two sinks, and a walk-in bathtub with a shower.

Lena almost drooled. This was the perfect house to live in, and this was only the parents' quarters? She couldn't wait to see what the rest of the house was like.

"So, yeah," Jeremy said. "This is basically where you'll be staying. It's probably the best place in the house, aside from my own room, of course." He chuckled. "You can use the weight room, if you'd like. I got a fridge in there with some sports drinks to cool off after you're finished. There's also a kitchen right there, if you'd like a little snack. If you need anything, my room is on the second floor."

"OK, thanks for everything, love!" Lena said. "See you in the morning!"

"Good night, love! Good to see you again!" Emily said, as Jeremy walked into the elevator and went up to his room.

After he went up, Lena jumped on the bed and shouted, "HAHAHA! We scored, love! No hotel could ever offer this! This is the best house I've ever been in! I wanna live here!"

"I have a feeling that this is just the showroom, love," Emily said. "I think the real house is on the first floor."

"Well then, we should check it out sometime."

"We should, but right now," Emily yawned. "I'm feeling pretty tired. Let's go to bed now."

"What? But there's this nice bathtub in here. And there's even a wine room outside!" She ran out of the bedroom and opened the door to the wine room. Emily could hear her saying, "Look at all this! Whiskey, rum, gin, brandy, OH MY GOD! There's a walk-in cooler here, love! And look at all the wine and beer and sake and vodka that's in here! This is the best house ever!"

"Lena, sweetie, I want to do it, too, but not right now. I'm very tired, and plus, we already had a lot to drink tonight. I don't think we should have any more. Come in here, love, and let's get some rest."

There was a pause, and then Lena said, "Oh, all right. But we're definitely doing this tomorrow." And she walked back in the room.

"Sure we will," Emily said.

They both changed into their nightclothes. Emily wore a red nightgown with white stripes, while Lena wore much skimpier night clothing. All she wore to bed was a small white tank top, which prominently showed her breasts, and a pair of Union Jack panties.

"Do you have to wear clothes that revealing?" Emily asked.

"Hey, come on, love! This is like our hotel room! Jer ain't gonna bother us down here!"

"I guess so…" Emily said doubtfully.

"Well, good night, love! And I'm so glad to be back!"

"So am I." Emily kissed her forehead, turned off the lights, and said, "Good night, sweetie."

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 _One hour later…_

Emily dosed off quickly. The bed, which had never been used before, meaning that the sheets and comforter were warm and clean, was so cozy that it was easy for her to fall asleep instantly. But while Emily was sound asleep, her girlfriend wasn't.

Lena found the bed warm and toasty, but it wasn't helping her sleep. And she really tried. She lay in bed, trying to sleep, when a sudden thought struck her. Jeremy was upstairs, all by himself, as he had been ever since he moved away from her. What were his nights like, without in this big, empty house, with no one to share it with? He seemed happy and cheerful when they came to the house, but Lena knew he would act that way so that no one could see that sad and lonely man that he really was.

Finally, she gave up. She got out of her bed and walked to the elevator. After she pressed the button, she heard Emily groaning in the other room. "Uhhhh….Lena…? Is that…yooooou?"

"Um…yes, love. It is."

"What time is it? What are you doing up?"

"I…I'm just going to check on Jeremy." And she told Emily her concerns.

"I'm sure he's fine, honey. Go back to sleep."

"NO! I can't sleep without knowing that he's alright! I'm going to check on him!"

"Oooohhhh, fine. Lemme go with you." She got out of bed.

"No, it's alright, love. I can go by myself-"

"No, I wanna see more of the house anyway. Let's just go." She groggily walked over to the elevator and the two girls rode it up to the second floor.

There were lots of rooms on the second floor. It was hard to tell which room was Jeremy's bedroom. They opened one door and found something they didn't expect to see: A room with a large model train set. There were lots of other toys in the room as well, such as an orange Hot Wheels track, but the train set stood out the most.

"Blimey. Never knew Jer was a big toy collector," Lena said.

They walked out of the room, and opened another door. This one was actually Jeremy's bedroom. It was much messier than the bedroom in the basement. There were clothes thrown all over the room, a guitar lying on the floor, and more than a few empty Dr. Pepper cans. His room also had a ceiling fan and air conditioner, and coincidentally, even a large window looking out to the ocean. There was even a balcony outside the room. Next to his closet was a large glass display case with his old Scout outfit locked inside.

Jeremy's bed was in the center. He was sleeping in it.

"See?" Emily said. "He's fine. Let's-"

"No." Lena said bluntly. "He's not. Look at him."

Jeremy's face was scrunched up. He looked like he was having a nightmare. And that wasn't all. His pillow was wet, and so was his face. It was such a sad sight. What Lena feared was right. He always appeared to be happy, but no one really knew what happened behind closed doors.

"Umm, Lena? Isn't this a little creepy, watching him sleep?"

"Yeah, you're right." But instead of leaving the room, Lena shook Jeremy awake.

"Oi, Lena!" Emily hissed. "That's not what I-" But it was too late. Jeremy was stirred awake.

"Huh? Wha?" He looked up and saw Lena's face. She looked worried. "Lena? What're you doing here?"

"Can…Can I sleep here with you tonight?" Emily was surprised to hear this. Jeremy, however, was still too sleepy to be surprised so he only asked why.

"Because…Downstairs…It's dark…and…the wind is howling…I hear a storm coming…and I'm…scared. So is Emily." She was lying. It took more than a little storm to scare Lena. She was simply doing this for his sake. She added in that Emily was scared as well, to avoid any implications that she was cheating on her.

"Alright," a groggy Jeremy said. "Climb in."

Lena hopped in his bed. She was still wearing her skimpy nightclothes, but Jeremy was too tired to notice. Emily was unsure about this, so she told Lena, "I…I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be in here shortly." And she left the room.

Lena shuffled around in the bed, finding a position that she was comfortable sleeping in. Next to her, Jeremy had already fallen back to sleep. But as she was trying to get some shuteye, Lena was awoken by Jeremy. His body was scrunched up, and he sounded like he was sobbing in his sleep. Lena wasn't annoyed by this. Quite the contrary, she was quite sad. She remembered a song that Jeremy once sang in his room at Watchpoint:

 _No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man, behind blue eyes._

Worried for him, she put her arm around him, and as soon as she did, he quieted down and his body relaxed. She quickly took her arm off him, and his whimpering and sobbing resumed. She put her hand back, and he was at peace again.

If you were to ask Lena how she felt about this, she would be honest and say that, as a lesbian, she felt uncomfortable sleeping with a man, even if it was her best friend, and even if it wasn't in a sexual manner. But her best friend was in constant torment, probably for all his life, and she would do whatever it took to give him a little peace of mind. And if spending a few nights with her arm around him was what it took to let the poor boy have a good night's sleep, then she could give him that. And she would, without any further thought or question.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emily was pacing in the hallway. She didn't like the idea of sleeping with a man, even if Lena was sleeping with her. Yes, she wasn't cheating on her. Yes, it there was nothing sexual about this. No, she was not concerned with either her or her girlfriend getting raped in their sleep. Lena would be more than a match for any attacker with dirty thoughts. As she was gay, she just didn't like the idea, even if the intentions were good. She decided to sleep in another room for the night. But where to go?

She walked in one room, next to the toy room, and found that it was a library. This struck Emily as a little odd, since she heard that Jeremy could not read very well. Hell, he could barely discern the word "Submachine." But this library showed that despite that, he at least tried. There were shelves as high as the ceiling, with books stacked everywhere. There were all sorts. There were comic books, novels, history books, even some manga in the bunch. There were also a couple of sofa chairs, and next to the window, a coffee machine. Jeremy wanted the complete library experience, it seemed. Well, as Emily liked to say, "More espresso, less depresso."

She walked out of the room and opened another door. She saw something else she didn't expect. It looked like a projector room. There were some shelves with stacks of movies and TV Series on DVD. There were posters on the wall of the movies _Pulp Fiction_ and _The Big Lebowski_. At the back of the room was a large window showing what appeared to be on the first floor a home theater. It wasn't very large, but it looked very much like a real theater. There were cushy theater seats with built-in cupholders and even some couches with tables. Emily was impressed. Jeremy really had taste and style.

She walked back into the hall and into another room. This one looked like an office. There was a desk with a computer on it. Right in front of it was another desk. This one had a lot of buttons and switches on it. It became clear to Emily that this was the control room of a recording studio. Sure enough, there was another large window in the room, offering a view of a recording studio. There were lines of guitars and pedal boards, with a wide variety of pedals on each one. There was also a drum set, microphones, and a large line of keyboards. There were lots of synthesizers and even a grand piano. The control room also had a vinyl turntable, which was also a CD player, a water cooler, and a Jimi Hendrix calendar on the wall.

But what really stood out to Emily was the decorations on the wall of the control room, which also doubled as an office. There were pictures everywhere of Jeremy and Lena together. There were pictures of them kissing, cuddling, posing for pictures, hugging, dancing, and even a few dirty ones, like one with Jeremy in a bathtub with Lena…seducing him?

These obviously weren't real. They were all either drawn, painted, or created using computer animation software. Emily had to admit, they captured both Jeremy and Lena quite well. One picture had the two of them dancing together with birds flying in the sky. This picture was labeled _Soulmate_. Another one had Jeremy embracing Lena wearing a cheesy superhero costume titled _Let Me Be Your Superhero_. Another one had the two holding hands at a table with a birthday cake on it. This one was called _Tracer's Birthday With Scout_. And yet another had Scout flexing with Lena looking at him in awe and another woman in a purple dress facepalming. This one was called _The Scout's Charm_.

Emily found this a little bit heartbreaking. Jeremy really was torturing himself over her. All these pictures in the studio were proof of who he really longed for. She could tell that he would give anything to have these pictures real. But that would never happen, so he would settle for having fake stills of their non-existent romance, just so that he could still see his dreams, even if he couldn't live them. Strangely, the more loving the pictures were, especially the ones with hearts on them, the sadder it was to watch. Emily ran out of the room before she started tearing up.

It occurred to Emily that if a recording studio and movie theater was down on the main floor, surely there had to be more. She quietly walked down the stairs, tip-toeing in her bare feet to avoid waking the others. She reached the bottom floor, which simply showed a kitchen with a dining room. The kitchen was very large. There was a large gas stovetop, with both burners and a flat portion for grilling. There was a large refrigerator, a double stainless steel sink, and a large countertop with special overhead lights. The dining room offered another pleasant view of the ocean, and before that, Emily could see the backyard. It was mostly bare, but there were garden tools lying around some ground was dug up. And there was a lot of land here, five acres, according to Jeremy. He was obviously planning to do something here. There was also a back porch, with some lawn chairs, a table, a table for table tennis, an outdoor gas grill, and a firepit. Emily was impressed. She and Lena could use for making S'mores during the summer.

She walked down a hall. She walked into the recording studio, and then saw a door with a sign on it that read,

MAN CAVE

NO GIRLS ALLOWED

UNLESS THEY HAVE FOOD

Emily smiled. "Fuck this sign," she said, grinning. It was indeed a man cave. There was a corner with several TVs. One of them had a large shelf with video game consoles on it. There were the latest game consoles from Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and Valve, which unexpectedly was now dominating the video game hardware market. There was also an old Magnavox Odyssey. Emily looked like she had found the Ark of the Covenant. This was by now a legendary gaming console, believed to be the first one ever made. And this wasn't a replica. This was the real deal. And it also came with a Sears Pong Console. Emily had heard about it and read about it, but until tonight, she never actually saw it.

Aside from the TVs and video game consoles, there was also a poker table, a foosball table (Jeremy must have really liked this, as it was in the center of the room and had the best lighting), a pool table, an air hockey table, a shuffleboard table, a dartboard, a pinball machine, a bar, and, to her surprise, even a bowling lane, and it had everything. A scoreboard, seats, and a ball return.

Emily decided to give her bowling skills a shot. She flipped a switch, which activated the ball return and pin resetting machine behind the lane. She picked up a ball from the return, carefully lined up her shot, and gave that ball a good, hard roll. The ball collided with the pins, knocking them all over. Well, almost all of them. One stubborn pin remained standing. Emily was pissed. She was so close to getting a strike with her near non-existent bowling experience.

Rather than wait for the ball to return, she picked up another one and tried to knock oover that last pin with it. But she couldn't. The holes were too small for her fingers, and they got stuck in them. It wasn't a big deal, though. After some struggling, Emily was able to get them out.

The original ball finally returned, and Emily used that one again. However, she screwed up her shot and rolled a gutter ball. "Damn it!" She shouted to herself. After the machine knocked over the last pin and reset the others, she turned it off.

There were two other doors in the man cave, aside from the one she entered through. One of them, next to the bar, led to the movie theater, and the other one led to an unseen part of the house. This one had a sign on it that read:

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MAN CAVE STAYS IN THE MAN CAVE

Emily opened this door and was extremely delighted by what she saw behind it.

There was a large indoor swimming pool. It was very pristine. The water looked absolutely perfect for swimming in, and there were fountains gushing water out into it. There were chairs and a sofa lined up along the room. There was a towel rack in the back, a shower room on the side, and on the other side of the pool was a diving board. This was obviously the deep end. Next to the shallow end was a hot tub.

Emily was happy with what she had seen. She jumped with joy and said, "YES! WE SCORED! WE ARE IN THE BEST HOUSE EVER! I LOVE YOU, JEREMY!" But then she quickly stopped. She wasn't sure this room was soundproof. Quickly, quietly, she ran back upstairs to Jeremy's bedroom. Now she really wanted to give him a hug for letting them stay in his house. The possibilities they could do here were endless.

She quietly opened his bedroom door, and saw that Lena was sleeping in bed, but Jeremy wasn't. Emily saw that the balcony door was open. She walked outside, and there was Jeremy, sitting on a lawn chair, gazing out into the distant ocean. The beach was dark and empty, and in the distant was a bright green light. Probably some cargo ship going to Portland or maybe some early morning fisherman.

"Hey, Jer." Emily tried to strike up a conversation.

"Oh hey. What's up?" He said, in a very tired voice.

"I was just taking a look around your house. I have to say, best house I've ever been in! That swimming pool was the icing on the cake for me."

"Glad you like it," he said. He sounded like he didn't want to talk, though. But Emily wasn't giving up.

"So, what are you doing with your yard here? I see there's a lot of ground that's dug up."

"Building a golf course," Jeremy said. "Engie said he'd help me build this house, but only if I put that golf course in. Something for him and Snipes and Demo to play with whenever they come to visit. I also want to build a performing stage in the back. Dad also wants me to put a garden in here. I have no idea how to run a garden, though."

More silence passed by. Emily looked out in wonder. This was truly heaven on earth. She and Lena were going to have their wedding there.

That made Emily think of something. She sighed and said, "Look, Jeremy. I was in your office. And I saw the pictures there."

Jeremy gulped. He was a little embarrassed to hear this. "Look, forget that. It's nothing, it's-"

"No, it's not nothing," Emily said. "It's who you really are. It showed me just how much you love Lena. You really do love her, I know that. And I don't blame you. She is an amazing person. But since you know you can't have her, you really need to stop torturing yourself over her."

"I can't!" He sobbed. "She was the first real person I ever loved. There was this one assistant to the my old boss that I had a thing for, but I don't think I really loved her, but I really loved Lena! If I can't have her in some shape or form, I'll go crazy!"

"You _are_ going crazy, love! You're losing your mind!" She loudly whispered, to avoid waking Lena. "I know this, because I saw Lena doing it during her final days in Overwatch! You need to let it go, or else it will hurt you very badly, and that's no exaggeration! Headaches will be the least of your worries if you let this keep consuming you!"

"Then why can't I find someone who will love me back?" He sobbed. "It's bad enough that I had one lesbian girl come out to me. I mean, what are the fucking odds? There's billions of girls in this world, and I fell for one that didn't like guys. Even more fucked was that this happened to me _again_. WHHHYYYYYY?! WHY, WHY GOD?! Why would you be so cruel as to make every girl I love gay?!" He fell on the balcony floor and cried his eyes out. "Someone is against me," he cried. "Someone is deliberately making everyone I love gay so that I can't be with them."

Emily put her hand on his shoulder and said in a soft and sincere voice, "Look, love. You do know that Lena loves you very much, right?"

Jeremy sniffled. "Right," he said through tears.

"Then how do you think she feels seeing you this way?"

Jeremy sat up. "She doesn't like it."

"Exactly. Why do you think she wants to sleep with you? Not even that, why do you think she wants to live close to you? Why do you think she made you this offer in London?"

"So…So she could…look after me?"

"Ding-ding!" Emily tapped her head. "Spoken like a true _Final Jeopardy_ contestant.

And because you wouldn't stay with her in London, she wants to move out here so she can stay with you. Now if that's not love, I don't know what is."

Jeremy sniffled. "I'm…I'm sorry. You're right. All that jealousy I felt at seeing you was nothing compared to how pained I felt knowing you two were gone.

That's just my problem. I miss you guys so much when you're away, and yet whenever I'm with you, I do just want to be alone, because I know how jealous I'll feel knowing you have what I want."

Emily smiled. "It's alright, it's OK. You don't have to hold it in anymore. We'll be here for you. The world is not against you, you know. You'll find somebody to love. Hana showed you that."

"That's another thing I regret. I wish I at least gave her a chance. Maybe it wouldn't have worked out between us, but it probably wouldn't have hurt to try."

"See? You're learning already. And you never know. Maybe you will see her again. Maybe your paths will one day cross again. You certainly didn't expect me and Lena to come all the way out here to the United States, did you?"

"No, I know I haven't."

"Hope is not lost, Jeremy." She put her hands on his shoulders. "We'll help you. We'll be on your side."

"Always?"

"Always."

Jeremy hugged Emily, and she gave him an emotional hug in return. "Thank you very much. For everything."

"Thank you too, for letting us stay here. But I'm going into the man cave even if I don't have food."

Jeremy laughed. "You can ignore that sign."

"Oh, you know I will. Now come on, it's two in the morning. Let's get some more sleep. I know you want to sleep us."

"Oh yeah, you bet I do!" Jeremy said. The two of them walked back into his bedroom and climbed into his bed. They were very careful so as not to wake Lena.

"But keep your hands off of where they don't belong," Emily warned him.

"Oh, no need to worry. I won't do anything like that. I know how tough Lena is."

"Good. Respect for women. I like that."

Emily was right. Life felt so much better for the three of them now that they were reunited. The future would be tough for Jeremy, but he knew as long as he kept his friends close, help would never be too far away.

He pulled the comforter over the three of them, and he and Emily quickly fell asleep.

 **Well, that's it for this chapter. I have to admit, it was a tough one to write.**

 **First of all, I wanted having Tracer and Emily sleep with Scout was meant to be sweet and loving and not sexual and creepy. I hope I made that clear in this story.**

 **Second, I wanted to remove Tracer's powers to control her own time for a scene in the next chapter, but I struggled coming up with some way to make that possible. Then it hit me: What if she was reassembled the same way she was disassembled? I think that makes sense.**

 **Third, I wanted Jeremy's jealousy vs loneliness battle to come to an end here, as I felt it went on quite long enough. I hope I made it convincing that this is the end to that story arc.**

 **Also, the "Dream House" that Jeremy lives in, which he calls his own Graceland (Elvis' mansion) and his own Paisley Park (Prince's house/studio), is based on the house that I live in right now.**

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 **HA! I wish. It's the house that I hope to live in someday.**

 **So, yeah, this is not the end. I plan on writing a few more chapters for this story. I know I've said that for quite some time now and even said I wanted to end the story quite a bit, but ideas just keep popping up and I'm encouraged to continue writing, so honestly, I don't know when I'll stop.**

 **One last thing, I cannot emphasize this enough: Please leave reviews! I want to know how I did here. I especially wanted to get a decent atmosphere, so I went into quite a bit of detail about his house.**

 **So leave a review if you're reading this, even if you're a guest. There's no such thing as too many reviews for me. But as always, if you're going to criticize, no flame or hate please. Please make your criticism constructive.**

 **That's all for now. See you in the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20: Scout's Final Secret

" **I think you hit the intended effects spot on. The pictures of Jeremy and Lena was a good way to show just how much longs for her and how much pain he constantly is in. Also I do hope that Hana shows up again so Jeremy might give her a chance. I would really like those two to be a thing." – Anonymous**

 **Thanks for telling me that it worked the way I wanted it to. I thought it would make sense for Scout to have all those pictures of Tracer (which, in case some of you are wondering, are real pictures from Deviantart) so that he'd have something that no one can take away from him.**

 **As for D. Va coming back…Hold that thought.**

" **Very Good Chapter I so myself. I think you should on work on how Overwatch got disbanded and where they went." – Peter Beter**

… **Hold that thought.**

" **Have to say...really liked this chapter , just because it focuses on Emily a little more , making the story a little more balanced , and not just about scout and Lena , and I have a question , will we see the RED team again?" – AwesomePieMan**

 **Yep. I thought that giving Emily some scenes of her own would make this more balanced.**

 **As for the RED Team returning, maybe. I've set up a scene for a possible return (in which Scout builds a golf course in his backyard as payment for Engineer helping him build his house), so if I can think of a good and maybe funny scene for them, maybe I will bring them back.**

" **It really struck me when you described the view of the beach and the Pacific Ocean. It reminds me of the times I got to spend time with my family out to the beach together. As a guy living in California, I gotta say, Oregon isn't as different as I thought it would." – EpsilonChurchRVB**

 **Truth is, the beaches in Oregon aren't that much different from those in California. The only real differences are the sand is much whiter and the beaches aren't as crowded. Seriously, I've seen pictures of California beaches and every time I do, I get the urge to find Waldo.**

 **I haven't got many reviews this chapter (which kinda upsets me), so I'll stop right here and continue with the show!**

A bright ray of sunshine shone through the tall glass window at Scout's Cannon Beach estate. Despite the day being Christmas Eve, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. However, the temperature was freezing outside, and being real close to the beach was a big reason for that.

The sunlight beam slowly moved its' way up the room. It inched closer and closer to the bed where the young man and two young women were sleeping in. The three of them were sound asleep. Despite going to bed at such a late hour, they had such a peaceful night's rest, which lasted all the way through the morning. It was about nine o'clock now.

At last, the sunlight reached the bed. Jeremy was the first to get the blast. His eyes squinted open and he glanced away in irritation from the sudden and very rude wake-up call. After ten minutes passed, he realized that he wasn't getting any more sleep, so he fully opened his eyes, and found an arm resting on his chest.

It was Lena's. Jeremy saw that she was sleeping right next to him. She had her other arm around Emily's body, and her head was turned in her direction. With her back turned on him, he got a good look at backside. _Aw, jeez,_ he thought. _Look at her. She's so sexy and beautiful, and jeez, how much is she wearing? That tank top looks so small on her, and_ …his breathing was fast and heavy. _She has such a cute butt. And now there's even more of it showing!_ Indeed, Lena's tushie was even more prominent than it was before. She wasn't wearing any armor over it this time, only a small pair of panties, and he could swear the very top of her crack was poking out.

This felt so awkward. The girl of his dreams was sleeping next to him in such a compromising pose. He felt himself getting an erection at the sight of this, and it too was prominent, because all he wore were some long pants with no underwear beneath them. Quickly, quietly, so not to disturb Lena or Emily from their sleep, he climbed out of bed and quickly tiptoed over to his bathroom.

Closing and locking the door behind him, he stripped himself of his nightclothes, turned on the shower, and once the water was hot enough for his liking, he stepped in. As he rubbed soap around his body, he thought to himself, _What am I doing here? I'm standing naked and dripping in this shower while two lesbian girls are sleeping in my bed. This sounds like a piece of badly-written fanfiction. Who would ever think of this?_ He stayed in the shower for a good long time. About fifteen minutes, to be exact. Once he rinsed himself off, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The bathroom was like a sauna at that point. Steam was hanging all over the place. But Jeremy didn't care. As a matter of fact, he liked Steam. It was the best thing that could ever happen to anybody. He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his body, and walked back into his bedroom.

Lena and Emily were still sound asleep. Jeremy tiptoed over to his closet to pick out some clothes. In the old days, he would simply put on his red shirt and brown pants, along with the rest of his Scout attire. But those days were over. From now on, Jeremy could wear whatever he wanted. He picked out a Black Sabbath T-Shirt from his closet and some black shorts to match. He walked over to his dresser to pull out some socks and underwear, but when he tried to open a drawer, he accidentally knocked over a vase on the dresser. It fell on the ground with a loud _crash_.

The two girls stirred in their sleep and Jeremy knew that the loud noise woke them up. He cringed at the thought of that. Lena slowly rose up and stretched while Emily rolled to her side and checked the alarm clock on the nightstand next to her. The time read 9:17 AM. "Good lord, have we really slept in that late?" She asked tiredly.

Lena yawned. "Mornin' love," she quietly said to her girlfriend, slowly reaching over to kiss her on the cheek. She was about to climb out of bed when Jeremy quickly ran back into the bathroom. He didn't want Lena to see him wearing nothing but a towel. "Mornin', love!" She shouted at him, but he had already ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Lena looked confused. "What's the matter, love?" She asked. She didn't see that his only clothing was a towel.

Jeremy didn't shout back. But the two girls did hear some slipping on the floor, followed by a loud banging and an "OW!" from in the bathroom.

"Bloody hell, are you OK?" Lena asked. She was a little bit worried. Not so worried, like she was when he tried to kill himself, but still, when a friend is in a room, and there's a slip, a bang, and a cry of pain, no good friend ever lets that go unnoticed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," a pained Jeremy said.

"Not you're not," Emily said. "You just had a fall, and it's not a good idea to have one anywhere, least of all in the bathroom."

"We're comin' in!" Lena shouted.

"NO! DON'T! I'M NOT WEARING ANY-" But it was too late. The girls had broken into the bathroom. They found Jeremy lying on the floor with some blood on his head and his towel just barely covering his privates.

"What happened here?" Lena asked.

"I slipped and fell, all right? It's just a flesh wound. I'll get this healed up in no time at all."

"Well, you shouldn't make it so easy for you to slip," Emily said. "There's puddles on the floor here and…wow, you really like your Steam, don't you?"

"Hey, can I help it if having Steam is the best feeling in the world?" Jeremy asked. "Now just let me get up so I can get dressed. I'm, uh…naked right now, as you can see."

"Oh, we're sorry, love. Yes, you're right. We'll…We'll leave and let you…change," Lena said, blushing.

"We'll get your…clothes for you," Emily said. "They're laying on the floor in front of the dresser, right?"

"Yeah…" Jeremy said uncertainly. He didn't want these two to touch some of his clothes, particularly his underwear. "Those are the ones."

The girls quickly ran out and then tossed his clothes into the bathroom and then closed the door behind them.

After a long silence, Lena and Emily looked at each other like they both went crazy.

"What the bloody hell was that? We just saw him naked in there," Emily said.

"Yes…love…"

"And yet, even though we're lesbians, it didn't feel very uncomfortable at all."

"No. Not at all. Of course, I wasn't turned on by nearly seeing his…privates…but…I didn't really mind it, either."

"No. Neither did I."

They both stared at each other. While certainly not feeling attracted towards him, neither could deny that they felt at least a little love towards him. Both would admit that their love was more than a little.

A few minutes later, Jeremy stepped out, fully clothed. His cheeks were red. It was obvious why. "Sorry…About that…"

"Oh, it's OK, love. I'm actually kinda surprised by how comfortable we were by seeing you without your clothes on," Lena said, smiling.

"Yeah…" His voice trailed off.

"What's wrong, Jeremy?" Emily asked.

"Nothing, we already talked about it last night."

"I know, I know," Emily told him. "We can't help you right away, but you know we will. I told you so, don't forget."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

There was a pause. "Nothing, it's nothing. Forget it. Is anyone here hungry? I know a good diner around here that makes awesome pancakes!"

"Jeremy," Lena asked, concerned. "Is there something else that you're hiding?"

"No, you already know everything! I told you, I love you, I can't have you, I hate myself, I hate my life, and you love me, which is the only reason why I keep it going! Now let's go eat breakfast! I'm starving! Put some clothes on, and I'll go start the car while I'm waiting for you!" He tried to run out of his bedroom, but Lena stood in front of the doorway.

"You shall not pass until you tell me and my girlfriend what you're hiding. We're your best friends. You love us and we love you. You owe us that much." She sounded clearly tired of her best friend withholding valuable information from her. "We know that there's much pain you're going through, and if there's another layer underneath all this, I want to know it and I want to know it _now_."

Jeremy stood still. He didn't even try to argue or fight with her. In fact, his breathing almost completely stopped and his throat scrunched up. The frown on his face was growing wider and he was fighting back tears that were just trying to escape his red eyes.

"Love, what's wrong?" Lena asked.

Jeremy said nothing. He just couldn't speak anymore. He had several secrets that he kept bottled up over the years, but Lena knew that whatever this was the most personal secret he had ever concealed.

"Jeremy, what is it?" A concerned Emily asked.

"There is something, isn't there?" Lena questioned.

Jeremy remained silent, but he did nod his head.

"Well then, what is it?"

Finally Jeremy spoke, but his only words were very soft: "Come with me."

With concerned looks on their faces, Jeremy led the girls out of his bedroom and down the hall towards the recording studio control room/office. Emily had already seen it, but Lena had not, so she was surprised to see the pictures of herself and Jeremy on the walls. "Blimey," she whispered. "He…"

"He really does long for you," Emily said. "I thought the same thing when I saw it."

"You already saw this room?"

"Last night. I couldn't sleep, so I took a little tour of this place. You might like to know that he has a pool here."

"Really?" An excited Lena asked. Emily nodded. "This house is the bee's knees! Now we'll finally have a pool to swim…" she stopped short. "…Letting it loose," she quickly said, not wanting to say something that would make Jeremy's condition even worse. Emily smiled. She knew that Lena meant naked, but she wouldn't say it aloud for the same reasons.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was over by a large, black file cabinet that was next to his computer desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a tan-colored folder. It was labeled JEREMY'S CONDITION/MEETINGS WITH THE DOCTOR. He whistled for the girls to come over to him. They did. Jeremy handed Lena the folder. Curious, she took it. She was most intrigued by what the folder said on the cover. So was Emily.

She opened the folder and the first page she was none other than Jeremy's birth certificate. It listed him being born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, and listed a birth date of May 27, 1955. The girls were confused. "What…about this…are you embarrassed about?" Emily asked.

Jeremy walked over, saw the paper, and had a look on his face that said, _No. That's not it._ He turned it over, followed by a few more pages, and showed the girls a yellow sheet of paper that was a formal letter sent to his mother from a doctor, dated June 1, 1967.

 _Dear Mrs. Scott._

 _We have been most interested in your son Jeremy since the day we received your letter saying:_

To One Medical, I have been having problems with my son lately. He has been bouncing off the walls and talking non-stop. And yet, he acts incredibly shy and awkward around girls and in general, his behavior is so out of control and unpredictable.

I have disciplined him, punished him whenever he knocks over stuff in the house, but nothing works. I'm concerned that this may be a health issue. Can I have someone take a look at him sometime please?

 _As you know, you brought him in for a checkup last April, and now we got the results back. Physically, he is very healthy. More healthy than the average boy his age, in fact. His skeleton is very strong and sturdy, particularly in the lower regions, and his muscles suggest early growth and development in the arms, legs, stomach, and chest. So there's nothing wrong with your son physically._

 _However, when we ran mental and psychological tests in your son, we encountered some very bizarre happenings. Indeed his behavior is very unusual. Almost nobody acts like this after constantly getting disciplined and punished repeatedly. As such, after going through several studies of similar cases from other parents and children around the United States and even the world, we have come to the conclusion that your son has high-functioning autism._

 _Unfortunately, not much is known about autism. Research on it is very limited and results are not always reliable. Some scientists even debate whether further studies into the autism/Asperger's spectrum are even worthwhile. Some would argue that autistic people are simply freaks and should be treated as such._

 _We recommend not telling your son about this because we don't know how he'll react to it. At least not until later in life. It might cause him big emotional scars, particularly in school, where he would no doubt get mocked and ridiculed for having a label that would render him as a freak._

 _I don't know what to do about calming down his erratic behavior, but I would recommend to at least show the utmost amount of love and caring towards him. From what we've been able to pick up, he does love his mother. If you focus on building up a good relationship with him now, he would probably not take it so badly when you finally tell him about his condition._

 _Wishing you the best of luck (and maybe a change in heart),_

 _Doctor Eric Sheagley, One Medical, Boston._

Lena and Emily stood frozen in their spots. Neither could believe what they were reading. Jeremy had just revealed a very big and personal secret about himself. Something he told absolutely _no one_ about. And they knew that this was even more personal than anything he ever said before, because Overwatch had someone with autism, and it was a secret she kept close.

But that was different. Today, so much research had been done about autism and so much was known about it. Not only that, but it was widely encouraged that people with autism look at it as a gift, something that they should cherish, something that made them special. But in 1967, that wasn't the case. There was very little research done on it, and as the girls could see from the letter, the scientific community largely shrugged it off. Most people thought that these kinds of people should be seen as second-class people, not unlike gays and lesbians during that time.

Lena's eyes were in tears. So were Emily's. Although no words were spoken, the girls could somehow speak to each other through thoughts.

 _Oh, Emily. It's not fair. It's bad enough that he doesn't get the love he wants, but now this? What has he done to deserve this? He's in so much pain. I can't stand it anymore._

 _You're right. Now I really understand why you love him so much, because…I do, too._

 _Exactly. Take him off the battlefield and he's such an angel. He'll do anything for the one he loves. Why is there no one to do that to him?_

The two girls ran over to Jeremy and wrapped their arms around him. All three were crying loudly.

"My baby," Lena sobbed. "My poor, precious baby…"

"You've always held it in, haven't you?" Emily asked through her own tears. "I'm…surprised you haven't died from suppressed depression."

"E-Exactly! You-You've always been there…for-for…me…" Lena continued sobbing and sniffling. "You-You gave me all your love. I-I-I wish I was straight now just so I can give it back!" She wailed hysterically after finishing her sentence.

Jeremy felt guilty from hearing that. He didn't want to make Lena wish she wasn't gay. That was something he felt was unforgivable, never mind the fact that he just made two girls cry. But they were right. Lena couldn't return the love he gave her. Neither did Miss Pauling. That was why rainbows made him cry. They reminded him of what he couldn't have.

"I-I-I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I shouldn't have even come here. I shoulda just stayed back in '78. This was such a bad idea."

"NO! It wasn't!" Lena said. "How could you suggest that? You met your best friends here!"

"But all I've brought for you is just misery and pain. And it's all I got. If you thought that my depression started here, it didn't. It started all the way back in my time. There were days when I just wanted to kill myself and be done with it already. And no one would have cared back then. You wouldn't have either, since you'd never know me.

I can't do it now, though, because I know that you two love me so much. Emily was right. I know you love me. You wouldn't chose to move all the way out here, so close to me, if you didn't love me. And now I can't kill myself. I have to carry this burden for life, but I can't. I'm so weak."

"Love," Lena said, still crying, but with more intelligible speech, "Crying doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you've been strong for too long. And you are strong. You are very strong. I've seen men tougher than you who've given into sadness before their time.

And what's more, things are different now. People know so much more about autism now. Symmetra has autism, and even though she didn't want to admit it, she fully embraced it! There's no reason why you can't, too!"

"You should have been there in 1967, Lena," Jeremy said. "If you were gay, you were a freak. But if you had… _that_ …you were worse than a freak. You were a second-class abomination of nature. I mean, just look at that letter. That letter slip of paper says it all."

"But things have changed, love! People found out that autism actually makes people gifted! Symmetra is so brainy and intelligent because of it! And look at you, you're such a fantastic runner, and I've never seen anyone so gifted at music! This…this…" She stared in disgust at the letter. "This letter that this quack Sheagley wrote is crap. That's all it is. It's crap! Crap! Mega-crap!" She threw the file into a nearby wastebasket. "Everything they thought they knew about autism is wrong! And you're living proof of that!"

"Even so, what difference does it make? Maybe it is helpful, but I'm still seen as a freak. I just know that this _thing_ that I have is keeping me from finding love. No girl wants to be with me. They think I'm just a freak of nature.

Lena, Emily, you're good friends for trying to help, but…" He gave a heavy sigh, "In the World Series of Love, I've struck out. Time for me to hit the showers."

Lena and Emily were still crying, although not as much as before. Now it was just small sobs and a few tears rolling down their cheeks. They did understand how he felt. It may have been 2077, but it was still 1978 to Jeremy. His mind had time-travel jetlag. And this was a very touchy subject for him. Not something he could easily get over.

"Love, I know how hard this is for you, and I understand. I know what it feels like to think that everybody and everything is against you." Lena said softly. "And I love that you're such a trooper. Hanging in there despite everything. And I even have a better insight into how you feel, because I know that coming out as autistic is just as hard as coming out as gay. But you know that we'll always be here for you. And deep down, you know that, because you just told us a very personal secret that, I think it's safe to assume, you haven't told anybody else about, not even your own teammates.

You see, having me and Emily is probably the best thing that's ever happened to you. You probably would have killed yourself or else died from holding in all the pain you feel. But now that we're here for you, your life has become so much better. And that's not just an 'I think.' It's an 'I know.' And you don't have to worry about making our lives stressful, love. If you killed yourself and never met us, you're right, we wouldn't have cared, because we wouldn't have known you. But that doesn't make the fact that you're such a unique and gifted person any less true, and it wouldn't have erased the fact that such a great young talent like yourself would have been lost to the world."

"Well, for a while, I was."

Lena looked up. "What?" She asked worriedly.

"I actually did die once. Not by my own suicide, of course, but rather, I was shot. Many times, in fact. And I actually did go to heaven and see God. Long story, I'll explain later." He chuckled a little bit, but the girls looked slightly morbid.

"Well, as long as you're telling us this, is there anything else you need to tell us about yourself?" Emily asked.

"Any other secrets or little-known facts or stressors that are weighing you down?" Lena asked.

"No, that's all," Jeremy said.

"Are you sure?" Lena asked with concern. "Because now is the time to tell us. There is no reason why you should keep any more secrets from us. You're right, this is a tough burden to carry. But you don't have to carry it alone anymore."

"No, there's nothing else I want to say. Except for one thing."

"What's that?" Lena asked.

"Well…It's not a personal secret about me, but…I do miss Hana sometimes. She was the first girl ever to say that she loves me. But…"

"But what?" Emily asked.

"I…I just don't feel the same way towards her that I do towards you, Lena. Yes, I have some feelings for her, especially after she said she loved me, but it's just not the same. Emily says that if she ever returns, I should give her a chance, but I just don't know if it'll work out."

"But from what I hear, you _do_ care about her in some way, right?"

"Well, yeah! What kind of an asshole would I be if I just ignored a girl who really did love me? But I just…I still don't know about this…"

"Well, there's no harm in trying, love. If you ever see her again, you should at least let her try. You're right, maybe it will fail. But you never know until you try it."

Jeremy looked up, surprised. _You never know until you try it_. That sounded like something _he_ would say. After some more silence, he said, "Lena, Emily, thank you. You're right. I'm so fortunate to have you two in my life. I'm sorry for leaving you back in London."

"It's OK, love. It actually worked out better, because now you're living in your dream house, which is the best house I've ever been in! Oh, and we've gotta take a swim in your pool sometime!

Thank you for telling us everything, Jeremy. You've shown me just how strong you really are. I love you, Jeremy."

"I love you too," Emily said. And they both wrapped their arms around him and each other lovingly. Jeremy returned the favor. "Two lesbian girls just said they loved you," Emily said, smiling.

"I bet Miss Pauling never did _this_ to you," Lena said.

She was right. Miss Pauling never returned Jeremy's love in any way. She often wouldn't even acknowledge him. What a bitch she was. Not like these two girls who were pouring their hearts out to him. Maybe not in the way Jeremy wanted, but still in a way in which he knew that they really cared.

"You're right, she didn't." He said. He was now finally smiling. This made the girls smile as well. "Thank you for always being here for me. In fact, thanks for moving all the way out here just to keep me company." Any more doubts he had about the girls staying here were gone. For the longest time, he was so sure he would have to choose between a life of jealousy and a life of loneliness. But now, it seemed like he might not have to choose either.

The three kept their hug close for about ten minutes, without any words spoken at all. Then, finally, Jeremy asked, "So, you girls wanna go out for breakfast somewhere?"

"I'd love to," Emily said.

"So would I," Lena answered back. "But first, we need to shower and change. I mean, look at me! All I'm wearing is-" She stopped short. "No, on second thought, don't look at me. Forget I ever said that!"

"Too late, that disc is burned," Emily said. Jeremy was gazing at her nearly naked form. Her tank top was so short, her belly button was exposed and he could see her perky nipples through it. She turned away to run out of the room, but her plump butt was visible through the back of her panties.

Emily laughed. "Well, I better get changed and showered too. We'll meet you at the car shortly. I already know how to get to the garage."

"See you soon!" And Emily walked out of the office.

Jeremy got up himself and walked back to his bedroom to put some deodorant on. The girls were right. Even though he couldn't have Lena as a girlfriend, she was still better than Miss Pauling ever was.

Lena was right. This should have happened. He shouldn't have stayed behind in the past. Moving to the future and meeting the two girls was the wisest decision he ever made. He could no longer imagine what life would be like without them. He could already feel his aching head easing up. She was also right about his learning disorder. It was a different time now. It was a time when the odd and the different are celebrated and not discriminated. It was time to embrace his autism and show the world just what he could do.

 **Well, that's it for now. A.M.I.C., just as I was writing this, said that I should put something in that really emphasizes the pain that Scout is going through. Coincidentally, it was just as I was writing the part about Scout having autism (which is non-canon, I know. I made it up).**

 **Originally, this was going to be a much longer chapter, but since so much would have happened in it, I thought that would be best to split it up into several smaller parts, on top of the fact that I hadn't posted anything on here for a while now. If this keeps up, I might end up adding several more chapters to this story before I decide to finish it.**

 **Plus, I would like to see some more reviews on individual parts of the story to see if I nailed the emotional aspects that I wanted.**

 **I know it seems like I'm recycling some plot elements by having Scout reveal a personal secret about himself, but this should be the last time. He was right when he said that autism was treated very differently in the 1960's. And by treated, I mean, it wasn't. It was largely ignored and people like him were shunned and rejected. Gays got more respect than people with learning disabilities did. Arguably, that's still true today. How do know this? I have autism, so I know firsthand how it feels. Especially in the gaming community, where autistic people are mocked and lambasted. "Stupid" and "Aspie" are used much more often than "fag" or "gay," which really drives me away from multiplayer gaming often.**

 **But now that Scout has revealed this, it will probably be the start of an uphill journey for him, and of course, this time, he won't be alone.**

 **So please let me know how you think of this and if I nailed the emotional parts that I wanted. If not, I can make some edits to this and change it around a bit. So** _ **please**_ **leave reviews and let me know.**

 **See you in the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21: An Unexpected Party

" **Hey, man. I probably should say: I've been there. It was hard enough not knowing what exactly set me apart from the rest, why I was always assigned therapy. When I did find out, it really changed things up. It's a hard life, not being able to think like the rest. It was interesting to see you explain scout's insecurities this way." – VivaL'Aquila**

 **I'm glad to see that my story, particularly this chapter, is able to connect with my audience. That's what my goal was with this story. Because I too have been there.**

…

…

" **Jeremy with autism... for a man with the ability to double jump, the idea is not impossible! Maybe the very corner at the pockets of his brain altered the laws of physics of the universe to his command! Maybe he can reverse time and freeze it!" – Ganxi**

 **I never thought of it like that, but now that you bring it up, it does make sense after all.**

…

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" **Have you heard how scout says you shall not pass? It's hilarious. Do you play tf2? If yes, what's your steam? But, good chapter I feel like the story turned into a more grim side. Maybe that what you wanted." – Toni the Pepperoni**

 **Yes, it is what I wanted. It's not the average fanfiction, but that's the whole point.**

 **And in case anyone else here is wondering, I am on Steam. My username is Rockgod. To help narrow it down, my profile picture is of Deadpool. I do play TF2, but I haven't for a long time. I'm waiting for the game to finish fixing matchmaking and I also want to wait to see its' revival in popularity, which hopefully will be soon with the new Pyro update.**

…

…

" **People who make fun of autistic people are just born assholes." – Lord Demolitions**

 **Couldn't have said it better myself.**

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…

" **Is Miss Pauling ever going to be in this story?" – Spectator 3152**

 **I've thought about it, but I'm not sure how. I'm trying to imply that Tracer strongly dislikes her due to her treatment of Scout/Jeremy.**

 **No more time wasted, here's the next chapter. SPOILER ALERT: Someone from Overwatch will be back here.**

Jeremy drove his Mercedes Benz into a parking lot at Seaside, Oregon, not too far from Cannon Beach. Lena and Emily were sitting in the back of the car. They were driving to a diner for breakfast that Jeremy knew. The diner was in a strip mall block. The parking was packed. It took a long time to find a non-handicapped parking spot. Jeremy knew why. It was Christmas Eve, and people were scrambling for last-minute Christmas shopping.

Lena and Emily were impressed with the diner as they walked in. It was very bright and warm, and the staff was extremely welcoming. The diner was packed with people eating some of the holiday specials that they were offering, such as peppermint waffles, and eggnog pancakes. The three just barely managed to get the last table available.

They sat down, with Lena and Emily sitting next to each other, and Jeremy sitting across from them. Despite what happened that morning, he looked much happier now, and that made the girls much happier as a result. Jeremy was in fact smiling now. Lena was so happy to see this. She didn't think she had ever seen him smile during the short time that she and her girlfriend had been here. As soon as they were seated, a waitress came by their table and asked if they would like to order some drinks. All three ordered a pot of coffee, with cream and sugar on the side. Jeremy and Lena each ordered glasses of milk and orange juice, while Emily ordered a glass of grapefruit juice.

After the waitress left, Lena asked Jeremy, "So, love, are you feeling better now?"

Jeremy grinned. "Oh, yeah. I'm feelin' fantastic now! I'm eatin' breakfast with my favorite girls! How can life get any better than this?"

Lena was about to say, _Well, there's having a girlfriend to eat breakfast with, and…_ But she didn't even say anything. Jeremy was finally in a good mood and she would be damned if she were to kill it right now. Instead, she just said, "You know how happy that makes me, love? You've been through so much pain lately, so it makes me smile to see you smile for once."

"Aw, thanks, Lena. You know, now that you mention it, I just wanna say to both of you: Thanks for putting up with me.

I mean, I know I got a lotta issues. Everything from my dad leaving, to my brothers picking on me, to losing out on chances with girls I love, you name it, I've done it, and you already know it. I kinda feel bad and even hypocritical for saying that nobody loves me when you two just spent last night in the same bed as me, and you Lena, did it with only that skimpy nightshirt of yours."

Lena blushed and shushed. "Keep it down, love!" She said through gritted teeth. "I don't need a bunch of perverted men staring at me!"

"Sorry," he said, sitting back down. "Anyway, you do get what I'm sayin', right? I don't think clearly when I'm under pressure and stress, and with all this shit that I'm having to battle, I certainly am not in my right mind, and that of course means I'm sayin' nobody loves me when you two girls are doing just that.

And I know that people lose patience with me when I'm throwing the same old pity party day after day, and that actually gives them the right to yell at me and leave me alone. And it's even worse because I just created a valid reason for them to walk out on me. But you girls never did. You stuck with me through my lowest moments and have promised me that you'll keep doing it for as long as I need it, so thank you both. It means a lot to me."

Lena was starting to get a little bit annoyed by his sudden and very loud chattering, but that quickly died down. She would take it over seeing him continuing to mope and feel sorry for himself. So she would take as much of this as she had to. And it was touching to hear him say that she and her girlfriend made such a huge difference in his life. "You're welcome, love. And thank you for finally letting us in."

Just at that moment, their drinks had been dropped off at their table. The milk, and juices were delivered in large, tall glasses, and the server gladly poured coffee for the three of them and dropped off a large container of cream and bowl with sugar packets. Then she took their orders. Jeremy ordered a large skillet with scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, cheese, bacon, onions, and jalapenos. Emily ordered a plate of French toast with fried eggs and hash browns on the side. Lena ordered a corned beef hash, with a side of rye toast and sausage links. Then they ordered a large plate of cinnamon rolls and a large bowl of fruit to share. The server was somewhat surprised that they ordered so much food. These three still looked pretty young, and yet they were ordering enough food to serve a small army.

After she left, Emily asked Jeremy, "So, love, how are you liking your retirement?"

"You mean from fighting?"

"Yeah."

"I gotta say, it's very…" he spent a while searching for the right word to use. "…Therapeutic. Let's put it that way. Y'know, fighting was really starting to get boring after a long time."

"Really?" Lena asked, surprised that Jeremy was saying this. "How so?"

"Well, at first, it was fun. And you know me, I had a lotta rage built up in me. I wanted to take it out on somebody, but I would never do it towards an innocent guy, OK? You get me? So, when I was told that there was this gravel war in the southwest, and they needed me to kill some dudes, I immediately jumped on board. Now was my chance to release some rage. Well, that, and it promised high pay. I needed to get a high-payin' job to support ma. At the time, I wasn't very good at guitar, so I needed to find something else to help ma. And I owe her everything, she brought me into this world, so I gotta debt to pay off." Lena smiled. It was nice to hear Jeremy talk about how much he loves his mother. That's what every good son does. "Of course, I didn't tell her _exactly_ what it was. I didn't want her to have a heart attack over hearing that her little boy had become a killer. That would just not be good at all.

So, I went to New Mexico, in this base called 2Fort, made friends with my other teammates, and we had a great time. Sometimes we would be transferred to some other Mann Co bases around the world. And I mean, we had 'em everywhere. We travelled to Egypt1, China2, Japan3, Brazil4, somewhere in Northern Canada5, Alaska6, somewhere in the Middle East7, it was such a blast. Killing dudes had never been so much fun."

Lena and Emily were surprised. Jeremy was a raging first-person shooter fanboy before those had even existed. They were almost disturbed to hear that he liked killing guys so much.

"But," he continued. "That excitement wore down very quickly. After a few months went by, it was getting very tedious. You know, day after day, that crazy lady would keep screaming the same instructions over the speakers. Shoot this, kill that, the enemy has the intelligence, you failed, we have lost the control point, the bomb is almost at the final terminus, it went on for years. It was a total fuckin' harassment. It really was. Year after year, it was nothin' but us killing the same old dudes over and over again. Looking back, I have to ask, _why_? What was the point to all this? From what I've been told, something these two brothers, who were the heads of RED and BLU, fighting over gravel. Gravel? What the fuck is gravel good for? It's worthless. It's nothin' but a waste of time and energy. Tell me, we're now in 2077. Almost 2078. Has anyone found a suitable use for gravel in this day?"

Lena drew a sharp breath. "Sorry, love. We don't use gravel for anything here." Emily nodded in agreement.

"Oh, well, _that's just perfect!_ " Jeremy spat out. "Engaged in a war over some stupid gravel pit which was good for nothing! It was worthless back then, and it's worthless today! It was all nothing but a waste of time!"

"Don't say that, love," Lena said. "You made lots of friends from it. And money, don't forget about the money."

"Yeah, that's the only thing that kept me going. I couldn't afford to just walk out, because there goes my revenue if I do. I practiced music whenever I could in the hopes that someday, I would able to just quit that stupid job and do something I actually wanted to do. Man, I was looking forward to that day. Going up to the administrator's office, with my guitar in my hand, and telling her and the Mann brothers to go fuck themselves. And Miss Pauling, too," he added bitterly. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure she really was gay. I'd seen her flirting with Doc. I think she just told me that so I'd quit hangin' round her. Yeah, that's it," he snarled. "She lied. She's not really gay. She just told me to fuck off. And for what? What did I ever do to her? Maybe I was being a little creepy, but I think she could tell that I just wanted to be with her. But no, she just took my love and threw it back in my face."

Lena and Emily twitched by hearing that. Lena was no fan of Miss Pauling before, having heard that she did indeed walk out on Jeremy without ever looking back. But now, she felt nothing but hatred for her. _How could you do that to him, you bitch?!_ She thought. _How could you, you…you…you selfish…vile…cruel…heartless demon from hell?!_ She calmed down and said to him, "Jeremy, I am so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. You weren't even there."

"No, I'm just sorry for everything you've gone through. You don't deserve this."

"Well, it's too late now. And that bitch doesn't even matter anymore. She's gone. She's probably dead now. She means nothing to me. And even if she did, fuck her. I've got you two girls now. You two more than replace her."

At last, Jeremy was opening his eyes and realizing what he still has. For once in his life, he wasn't saying that his life was pointless and not worth living. Lena was so relieved to hear this, and already Jeremy felt like his heavy burden to carry didn't feel so heavy any more.

"Thank you, love. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine. Emily and I will always be by your side, no matter what."

"I love you two."

Lena and Emily then leaned forward from across the table. Lena gave Jeremy a kiss on his left cheek, and Emily gave him one on his right. Jeremy's stomach was filled with butterflies. _If only my bros could see me now._ Somehow Lena could hear what he was thinking, and she said, "They'd probably not believe it." Jeremy looked back in surprise. It was almost scary to know that Lena could read his mind.

"So, anyway, love, what were your brothers like?"

"Well…" Jeremy was a little unsure if he wanted to talk about it, but decided to. "So, as you know, I was the youngest of eight."

"Yep."

"The oldest of the pack was Jordan. Then there was Jack, Jared, Jacob, Jessie, Jasper, and Jason."

"So you had a mother that gave your brothers all the same initials, huh?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. And all of our middle names start with A. My middle name is Aaron, just by the way. **(Author's Note: That is non-canon. I made that up.)** "

"Aaron, huh? That's a nice name," Emily said.

"Thanks. Jordan, the oldest, was a fitness nut. Everything he ate was either pill or powdered-shaped. He believed that the Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Gods were real and that they got their powers by bodybuilding and running marathons every day.

Jack was a writer. His favorite books to write were self-help books. He was very snobby. He would knock on people's doors and offer them advice on how to improve their lives. And by offer, I mean demand. He taught me everything I know about picking up ladies. That explains why I fail at it so much.

Jared was a hobo. He strongly believed that men should embrace their inner animal. Because of that, he still lived with ma even after the younger guys went off to live by themselves. He never shaved, rarely showered, and often wore second-hand clothes.

Jacob was interested in computers, which at the time, were rarely used. Only the Australians used them at the time. They discovered the internet long before the rest of the world did. By 1978, the rest of the world was starting to catch on, and Jacob did lots of research into it. He was very overweight. The older guys used to make fun of him until he threatened to sit on them. And he ate lots of spicy foods, so that made it worse.

Jessie started his life as a criminal. He was in a lot of gangs, did drugs, spray painted graffiti everywhere, and this eventually landed him in a jail. Naturally, he wanted out. He also wanted a second chance at life, so he got a job in the prison as a chef. He cooked food for his inmates, and got a job at a bar and grill restaurant once he was released. Last I heard, he got a new job at Olive Garden. He gave discounts to all his brothers whenever they visited. Except me. He charged me extra.

Jasper and Jason were twins. I liked these guys. There were nicer to me than the rest of the pack were. Probably because I was the only one younger than them. Jasper was a fashion designer. He liked to design dresses and suits, mostly for weddings and renaissance fairs. Jason, however, was a party animal. He liked to stay out late and party with friends. No one thought he would make it anywhere in life, but just before I left, he bought one of our old bases, Badlands was its' name, and turned it into a brewery/dance club, proving everyone wrong. I don't know where he got the money from, but I doubt it was through anything legal.

Not that I should criticize him for doing illicit activity. I was guilty of it myself. We made bombs with real uranium and plutonium, we stuck up drug dealers for money, snuck into the kitchens at restaurants, and jacked food from them-"

"You really did all that?" Emily asked, wide-eyed. "Was all this legal?"

Jeremy grinned and said, "Absolutely fucking not. But that describes us perfectly.

And then finally, we get to that last of the eight brothers, which is me, the distance runner and guitarist. So that's basically it. That's the eight Scott brothers. There's there athletic trainer, the writer, the hippie, the computer nerd, the chef, the clothing expert, the alcohol entrepreneur, and me, the musician."

"Sounds like you've got a very diverse family, love."

"Yeah. All our neighbors thought for sure that we were all adopted. But as my pal Hard Hat would say, 'Nope.' We all come from the same ma and dad." He then stopped for a moment, and then he sadly added, "Yet, now I can see why people would think that. Those guys always picked on me and mocked me for not being able to keep up in fights with them. That's what I get for being the runt of the litter. I bet now they're glad I'm gone."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, love," Lena said. "Just like with Miss Pauling, they're gone. They're out of your life. They don't mean anything anymore. You're with us now."

"Thanks," Jeremy said. "Thanks for listening to all this. I know I can ramble on about stuff for a while."

"I have a question to ask," Emily said.

"OK, shoot," said Jeremy.

"Back at the house, you said that you actually died once. Is that true?" She asked, with a little worry.

"Oh, yeah. That's not a lie. I really did die."

"Oh my," Lena said, covering her mouth.

"Hey, don't worry. I came back, didn't I?"

"Well…Obviously, yes. But what happened? How'd you die?"

"In our fight against the Mann robots, I took one too many hits. And then I died. Then I went to heaven and saw God. Yeah, that's right. God is real. I saw Him with my own eyes. I don't mean to sound like a religious freak, though. I know people don't like those."

"Yeah," Lena said. "I know how that feels."

( _Flashback_ )

Lena was a teenager. She was now swimming in the Atlantic Ocean while on a vacation (or holiday, as she called it) with friends at the beach. She was happily swimming around in the ocean, but unknown to her, a shark saw her and was now swimming up to the surface to where Lena was swimming. Eventually Lena felt the water underneath her tremble, and before she knew it, a large great white shark came out of the water right beside her. It had its' jaw wide open and looked like it was about to eat her. Lena screamed in fright and panic, but surprisingly, the shark didn't eat her. Instead, it actually began to talk.

"Excuse me, miss," the shark said. "Do you have a moment to talk about Jesus Christ?"

Lena screamed in shock at this and shouted, "No! Go away! Get away from me!" She swam back to the beach.

"No?" The shark said, disappointed. "Well, can I at least give you a pamphlet for the local church? Maybe extend you an invitation to attend service once a week?"

( _End Flashback_ )

"Yeah, not good memories at all. Anyway, is this true? You actually saw God?"

"Yep. He showed me heaven. And it was filled with foosball tables. That's how I knew it was heaven."

"Wow," an amazed Emily said. "You really saw the big cheese. What was he like?"

"Oh, everything you'd expect. He was large, bearded, robed, and he spoke in a loud and very snarky voice, not unlike myself, in fact." Lena snorted. She was beginning to think that Jeremy was either hallucinating or making the whole thing up. "He also told me what my true purpose in life was."

"Really? What was it?"

"God made me as his personal gift to all the ladies of the world. It is my purpose to get every girl in this world laid." Lena and Emily started to laugh, but before they could, their faces turned red. "Some bang-up job I'm doing at that," Jeremy finished.

All of a sudden, Jeremy looked so hot in the eyes of the two girls. They didn't know why he looked so sexy all of a sudden. Was it because he said that God made him specifically to have sex with every girl? Was it because of his skills, both at running at music? Or was it something else entirely? Then Jeremy said, "And yet, even though I've met God, I've still converted to Dudeism. You heard of it? It's a religion that comes from _The Big Lebowski_. I only heard of that movie after comin' here, but I really like it. It's my new favorite movie. My old one was _You Only Live Twice_." Then Jeremy got up from his table and said, "Excuse me, girls. I just need to go take a leak." And he left, with very mumbled, "OK"s from the girls.

As soon as Jeremy was out of sight, Lena and Emily stared at each other, and then gave facial expressions that said, _What was that?_

"Are you fawning over him?!" Lena asked Emily.

"Well, you're one to talk. I can see the look in your eyes that you're crushing on him, too!"

"Well, how can any girl not fall in love with that big hunk of a man?"

"Yeah, I know. So it's his destiny to get every girl laid, huh? Even the lesbians?"

"Yeah," Lena said with a grin on her face. "I can see how easy it would be for him. He's got that ripped physique…"

"Those toned biceps…"

"That rugged appearance…"

"Mastery at music…"

"Oh, I would be sucking on his cock right now…"

"No, you wouldn't. I would beat you to it."

"In your dreams, lady."

Suddenly, the two girls snapped out of their daze and stared at each other in horror. They could not believe what they were just thinking, much less saying. And what was worse, not only did each girl hear their girlfriend saying it, but they said it as well. The two girls sweat-dropped and their heads made sharp turns in various directions. This was so awkward. Lena and Emily couldn't believe that they were capable of making such dirty thoughts, and towards _a man_ of all people.

"Look at us, Lena. What's happening to us?"

"I think…We're falling for him…"

"But…But…We can't. We're girlfriends. We can't have one of us falling over a man, much less both of us, and even less falling over the same man. We have to do something to stop this."

Quickly, the two leaned forward for a full and loving kiss. Their lips locked onto each other perfectly. The kiss was so passionate, and it lasted for a long time. But when the two finally broke away, they knew it wasn't enough.

"Do you still have her number?"

"Yep."

"Call her. Make sure she gets over here before one of us has his cock in our mouths."

"I'm on it." And Lena began to dial a number on her cell phone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Jeremy, completely oblivious to what was going on back at the restaurant, was walking over to the strip mall instead of using the toilet at the diner. He decided that he needed to express his love for the girls in a physical way. Words were no longer enough. He had to do something to show them how much he cared. He walked into the mall, past the Japanese restaurant which had what appeared to be Hanzo as a server, past the 1950's-themed malt shop, which had large pictures of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, among other fifties icons, and fifties-style soda in glass bottles, and past the carousel where lots of children were playing around on.

Finally, he reached his destination: A flower shop. He walked into the store, with a bell ringing on the door. He simply said, "Hi."

The clerk at the desk asked him, "Can I help you?"

Jeremy took off his sunglasses and said, "Yeah, can I have a dozen red roses, please?"

"Oh hi Jeremy. I didn't know it was you." The clerk reached behind the counter into a cooler and pulled out a bouquet of roses for him. "Here you go."

"That's me. How much is it?"

"It'll be 18 dollars."

"Here you go. Keep the change." He patted the dog on the counter. "Hi, doggy."

"You're my favorite customer!"

"Thanks a lot! Bye!"

"Buh-bye!" And Jeremy walked out of the store, back to the restaurant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeremy walked back into the diner. He walked at the table he was sitting at, only to find Lena and Emily with red faces. "Hey, girls. What's goin' on?"

"Um, nothing!"

"Yeah, yeah, nothing at all! Just…a little warm, that's all. The restaurant is a bit hot. I mean, I get it, since it's cold outside, but they could stand to turn down the heat a bit."

"Oh, alright. Anyway, I got something for you girls." He showed them the roses he just bought.

"Oh my…"

"Jeremy, they're…they're so beautiful! This is what you were doing during your 'leak,' wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I wanted to show you girls how much you meant to me instead of just sayin' it over and over again. The best thing I could think of was to give you some nice flowers. Well, diamonds also came to mind, but I don't think I could afford them."

Thankfully, the two girls were touched by this gesture, and both gave Jeremy another kiss on the cheeks. It was at that moment when the server showed up with their food. "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something," she said.

"Oh no, it's OK, love! We're just talking!"

"Oh, OK," the server said, clearly not convinced. "Anyway, here's your food." And she gently set it all on the table for the hungry young adults to eat. The all immediately dove in.

A few minutes had passed before any of them brought up another conversation, since they were all so anxious to eat this hot food. At one point, Lena reached for a cinnamon roll, but Jeremy snatched it away before she could put her hand on it.

"Hey!" She shouted. "That was mine!" Jeremy just giggled and stuffed it in his face. Lena eventually got her revenge by snatching a bite of Jeremy's mouth-watering eggs, which had a lot of sausage on them.

"Why you little-!" He shouted, but Lena just giggled with the food in her mouth.

"Sorry, love," she said slyly, "You hungry?" Jeremy said nothing, and decided to keep eating.

Then he decided to ask her, "Say, Lena, I never got around to askin'. How does it feel not having that accelerator on you anymore?"

Lena was surprised to hear Jeremy ask this, but assumed that he would only naturally be curious about it. So then she spoke. "You know, even though I'm no longer a time-travelling sprinter, I must say, lately it just feels like a massive weight has been taken off my chest." Both Jeremy and Emily cracked up from hearing that. Confused at first, Lena eventually found out why they were laughing. "He he he. I wasn't intending that to be funny, but I guess it is." Once the two had settled down, she continued.

"Anyway, I have to admit, that without this, it does feel like the world is resting on me. That thing was my symbol of being on Overwatch and everything that I lost in the first Slipstream accident. Now, without it, I'm free. Not just from Overwatch, but I'm also free from being a slave of time. Now I can do whatever I want and not face any time-related consequences for it. I think that without this, I can truly start a new life now. My only problem is, I don't what to do now."

"You know, I'm afraid I've been thinking," Emily said.

"A dangerous pastime," Lena said.

"I know, but you remember how both of us want to learn how to play music, right? Well, what if you and I and Jeremy started our own band and performed music to large crowds everywhere?"

Lena and Jeremy both stared at Emily in awe. Playing music for a living, as a band? Jeremy had been playing music as a solo act in clubs around Portland, but he had never considered playing with a full band backing him up, probably because no one wanted to. And despite her interest, Lena wasn't sure if music was right for her. I mean, she was a pilot and fighter for most of her life. Music was really under the radar for her until recently.

"Well…" Lena said, unsure. "I don't know…"

"Just a suggestion," Emily said. "I just thought it might be a good thing for us to do, since we'll all still be together. And I've always wanted to play bass guitar. If I do that, you, Lena, can take up drums, and Jeremy can be our guitar-playing leader. We'll have a real band then."

Drums? That seemed easy. There were no chords or notes to learn or memorize, there was just beating sticks on drums and cymbals. Maybe she could learn that. "If Jeremy will teach me, then…I'll give it a try."

"Well, I've never been a great teacher, but sometimes, I have to admit, it does get lonely up on stage by myself. Sometimes I'd just be sitting behind a piano and singing to a crowd of people.

( _Flashback_ )

Jeremy once did just that in a half-filled ballroom around a small town called Hillsboro. He simply sang into his microphone,

 _Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight._

 _Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, and you got us feelin' alright._

He blew into his harmonica, pounded some notes on his piano, and was met with a standing ovation from the audience, but he felt like he was destined for more.

( _End Flashback_ )

I'll try it out. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Alright, if he's in, then I'm in," said Lena.

"OK, what shall we name ourselves?" Emily asked.

"How about The Sprinters?" Jeremy asked. "That name's never been used before, and all of us here are sprinters, right?"

"Well, I'm not," Emily said. "At least, not as good as Lena. I did some track and field in high school, but I was never really good at it. But let's do The Sprinters. Can't think of a better name."

"OK, let it be said that on December 24, 2077, The Sprinters held their first meeting at an Elmer's Diner in Seaside, Oregon."

"Yeah, I'm sure this will be a remarkable day in history," Lena said sarcastically.

"Oh hey, speaking of remarkable days in history," Jeremy said, grinning, "You said it would be a remarkable day if I was ever able to outrun you. Remember? You said that back at Overwatch."

"That's right, I did," Lena said.

"Well then, once we get home, I challenge you to a race. I wanna see how fast you can run without your accelerator to help you."

Lena was about to respond with, "I will kick your arse and leave it in the dust," when she realized: _That's right. I don't have my accelerator any more._ This meant that there was no controlling time here. There were no easy ways ahead. It was just her own strength against his.

"Well, we can't do it _right_ when we get home," Emily said. "You know, we just ate. We have to let this food digest before we do anything physical." Jeremy cracked up at that, while Lena and Emily blushed. "I shouldn't have said that," she muttered.

Before long, The newly christened Sprinters finished their meal, split-paid the tab, and went home to Cannon Beach.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours after coming back home, Jeremy and Lena met up outside the driveway of his house. Both were wearing workout clothes and were prepared for a long run. The food had long since settled in their truck-sized stomachs, so they were ready and willing to run again. Jeremy looked pumped, while Lena looked unsure of herself. Emily was standing beside the two, ready to start off the race. "Ladies, gentlemen, start your engines!" She shouted. Both runners crouched down on the starting line marker that Jeremy spray-painted on the ground. "Ready…" Jeremy grinned at Lena. "Set…" Lena looked back, with some worry but with determination nonetheless.

"GO!" And the two were off.

At first, it was easy for Lena. She found that she was able to keep a good pace with Jeremy in the beginning, even though he was slowly gaining a lead over her. But as they passed one mile, it was clear to Lena that her legs and lungs along weren't strong enough to keep her up with Jeremy. By the time a mile and a half had passed, Jeremy was out of sight, and before she could even finish two miles, she collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

Emily ran up to her some time later, and saw Lena lying on the hard blacktop. "Lena! Sweetie! Are you alright?" She grabbed Lena and turned her body over to face her.

Lena said nothing, except for a small hoarse cry that sounded like, " _Aaaa-Eeeeerrr_ "

"What? What is it?"

" _Aaaaaa-eeeeeerrrr…_ "

"Aaa-eer?"

"Wh-Wh-Waaaaaaaaaaa…."

"Wa-er? Water? _Water_? Is that what you're saying?"

" _I…neeed….waaaa…eeeeerrrrrr…._ "

Just at that moment, Jeremy pulled up another one of his cars, a blue 2067 Dodge Durango. "Thought you might need a lift back to the house."

Lena was still hoarse, but she gave out a noise that sounded like, "Shut up."

Fortunately, Jeremy was kind and thoughtful. He made sure to bring a crate full of water bottles with him and told Lena she could have all she needed. He even brought along some Powerades for good measure.

"Well, Jeremy," Emily said, as they were driving back to the house. "Today's been a good day for you, hasn't it? Starts off with breakfast with your favorite girls, and now a sprint with one of them. Betcha Miss Pauling never did this."

"No way she ever did," Lena said, still hoarse, but now capable of fluent speech again with some water and juice to soothe her. The hoarseness of her voice made no attempt to hide her contempt for the assistant to Jeremy's old administrator.

"Nope, she didn't. But as I said before, she doesn't matter no more. You two are the only ones that do. In fact, I got something special planned for us later this evening."

"Really? What?" Lena asked.

"It's a little Christmas tradition back at my house. Every Christmas Eve, Ma would make us this awesome fondue for dinner. It was a tub of boiling oil with all the meat we could want. She also made a cheese fondue that we dipped bread and veggies in, and a chocolate fondue with marshmallows and candy for dessert! I'm thinkin' I'll have it here for dinner tonight! You'll love it! It's the best!"

Fondue. _That sounds really nice_ , the two girls thought. They couldn't remember the last time that had some excellent fondue for dinner. They looked forward to this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, the three were engaged in various activities. Jeremy was in his garage, working on his old Impala. The garage was the only place that Emily hadn't visited during her tour, and Jeremy couldn't understand why. It was filled with things up her alley. He had six cars in total. The Mercedes-Benz, the Impala, the Durango, a Ford Taurus, a Chevy Tahoe pickup truck, and, parked outside in a separate spot, a Winnebago, which he planned to use as a tour bus someday.

Lena and Emily were downstairs in the basement. Lena was on the treadmill, hoping to strengthen herself up for the next time she and Jeremy would run. Emily was doing some bench presses.

They were all wound up doing their own things that they barely noticed the doorbell ring. It was a few times before anyone knew it was ringing. Jeremy ran out of his garage, back into the house, to answer the door. _Who could be ringing at this time?_ He thought.

As he opened the door, Lena and Emily came out of the elevator to see what was going on, and they all saw it clearly.

Standing in the doorway was someone the three were familiar with. She looked different, but they all knew who she was. She had long red hair, pink marks on her cheeks, and she was now wearing a purple sweatshirt with long black pants and white sneakers. She had headphones in her ears, and was holding an electronic pad in her hands. Her eyes were green, her lipstick was cherry red, and she spoke in a soft, but very happy, voice. "Hello, Jeremy."

Jeremy couldn't believe his eyes. He never thought he'd see her again. And now, he had to say, she looked much more beautiful than he remembered. Those eyes, that hair, most of all, _that smile_. She just looked so cute. She was so cute, in fact, that at first, Jeremy didn't have the courage to speak. He spent a few seconds trying to think of the right words to say. Finally, he cleared his throat, and simply said, "Hello, Hana."

1Egypt, Lakeside  
2Kong King  
3Suijin  
4Borneo  
5Coldfront  
6Yukon  
7Dustbowl

 **Well, she's back. A lot of people wanted to see D. Va back in the story, and now I have done it. I'm still not sure of what I'll have her do here, so I will happily take suggestions.**

 **I'm expecting the heavy drama to be finished now (with Scout being depressed and confessing deep secrets), and now I'm trying to get him back uphill again. I knew I had to include a touching scene where he gives the girls flowers because they have had to put up with a lot with him, specifically hearing him say how no one loves him when they just spent the night in bed with him.**

 **Also, could someone** _ **please**_ **make a SFM version of the scene where a shark speaks to Tracer? I don't remember where I got that from, but it just cracked me up.**

 **And for those of you want me to acknowledge that Scout is much faster than Tracer, here it is. This is the main reason why I had her lose her accelerator in the first place. So that she couldn't use it to gain an advantage over Scout. Because of that, she would be in a race that she had to compete in using her only own raw strength.**

 **As for Scout's brothers, I got that idea from a picture that somebody posted on the internet, though I don't remember who it was, and I can't find that picture anymore, so I'm afraid I can't say whose it was. One notable difference, though. In that guy's (or girl's) picture, the oldest of the brothers was named Jeremiah (which can also be Jeremy). In fact, before Scout's real name was revealed in TF Comics 6, I predicted that his real name was Jordan. Heh. Guess I wasn't too far off.**

 **Main point I want to make here is D. Va is back. I'm still unsure how to use her in the story, since I still don't think she and Scout make as great a couple as Scout and Tracer would, but I figured that she should be in this so that Scout would at least try to do something to end his misery. I think that if doesn't at least try to do something that could make him happy again, then he's just an emo kid who deserves the sadness and loneliness that he gets, and I don't want that, so I'm making it so that he at least tries and that it possibly leads somewhere, but I still don't know where.**

 **Also, as always, please leave reviews, even if you're just a guest. I always like to know how I did, and I'll even take criticism (as long as it's constructive), so please,** _ **please**_ **, leave a review.**

 **That's all for now. See you again soon.**


	22. Chapter 22: The Beginning of a New Love

" **What? Lena and Emily were worried that they were starting to fall for him too much that they would want to suck and have sex with him? I don't see how that's a bad thing at all. I mean, they wouldn't need to break up, they could just have a kinda threeway relationship, ya know? They all love each other so i don't see why it wouldn't work.** **" – Anonymous**

 **Eh, I don't think so. That would make it seem too much like a harem fanfiction, which I swore I would never do. It just seems unnatural, and most fanfiction writers would agree. If you look at this site, and any other one for that matter, people don't like writing harem fanfics. You'll find straight ships and gay ships, but very few, if any, ships that involve more than two people.**

" **I'm actually glad you really brought Hana back and the way how you're ending Scout's biggest miseries that started the climax of the story. I feel like at this point, it's going to be like a Disney-happy-ever-after thing coming up." – EpsilonChurchRVB**

 **In hindsight, you're right. Having a Scout x D. Va ship would be an original idea, which I strive for. I think now they might have a bit more in common than I thought before.  
And honestly, I imagined this being a more Pixar-like ending, where it is a happy ending, but not the one that you expect.  
And I do like your idea of each feeling affection for one another using video games and music, you will see that in this story.**

" **U should ship scout with symmetra since they both have Autism. Just an idea." – SupBro**

 **No. Symmetra is too old for Scout. That would just be creepy. Just because some people** _ **can**_ **be shipped, that doesn't mean they** _ **should**_ **.**

" **Great chapter but 2 things:** **  
** **1\. When I suggested that scout could date both of them, you turned it down, but now you're going on that same path. (Not like I mind)** **  
** **you don't mind, could you involve the country Israel a bit in these stories? It's my home country" – Guest**

 **I'm not actually having Scout date both of them. They just all of a sudden feel attracted to him, which I hope I implied well enough that it was because Scout told them his purpose (which is to get every girl laid. No joke. God Himself said it in TF Comics 6). But they don't think it's right, so they call up D. Va and ask her to hook up with them so they won't.**

 **As for Israel, I don't know. Maybe I will. I don't know how it would fit in this story, and I don't know that much about it, so possibly, if I can find a place for it.**

" **Wow, his brothers sound like a bunch of assholes excluding the twins.** **Those 7 places you listed in the end. Very curious.** **I hope you do bring the Mercs back together."**

 **First off, yes, they are a bunch of dicks. That's the point I was trying to make when I said that he had a rough childhood. Second, Scout talks about places where they had bases. Those seven TF2 maps I listed at the end were the ones he was talking about for those who thought I was just making it up. Finally, I'm thinking of a way to bring the mercs together again.**

" **If you read the comments You probably saw me talk about the idea about the band. Did you plan that part or you incorporate my idea?" –Derrin Errow**

 **I always planned to do that.**

" **What if they administrator sent miss pauling to find out what happened to her missing mercs? and then miss pauling finds one merc after another. you did say some mercenaries stayed in the past, right?" – Spectator 3152**

 **I said that they left Overwatch, but returned to their home countries in 2077. But that idea of the Administrator searching for the mercs is a good one. After all, they all of a sudden left her and went someplace else, so it would make sense that she would wonder what happened to them. If I ever decide to include it, I'll be sure to credit you for it.**

 **Well, that's enough of that. Here's the next chapter.**

( _Flashback_ : _1962_ )

Seven boys were fighting in a neighborhood street in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. They were very large and strong and often considered bullies by the many residents who lived there. They were currently fighting with another group of bullies were outnumbered them, but were, the minds of the others, much weaker and more likely to wimp out of fights.

The seven who were fighting them were the Scott Brothers. No relation to the future house rent and construction TV guys of the same name. They were very large, strong, and proud of themselves. Except for one thing. There was an eighth brother, who was much smaller, weaker, and somewhat of a pacifist, but in the loosest possible sense of the word. He liked to fight as well, but his method of fighting was very slow and wimpy compared to that of others. Rival gangs laughed at him, and his older brothers felt embarrassed whenever he was around. They would deliberately leave him out of their activities, and would force him away whenever he tried to join in. Now was one of those times.

The youngest brother, named Jeremy, tried to join up with his brothers in their fight against this rival gang. He didn't know what they were fighting over, but he did hear something about stolen money and unnecessary roughness in a dodgeball game at school. He finally caught up to his older brothers.

"Aw, hell," One of them said. "Jack, I thought you said he couldn't possibly reach us here."

"I tried my best, Jessie," Jack growled.

"Well, your best isn't good enough!" Another of them shouted.

"Listen up, Jared. You can only do so much with that kid. Little bastard's a fast one."

"Hey, wait up!" A young, seven-year-old Jeremy shouted. "I want in on this, too!"

"Get outta here, ya little runt!" The oldest of them shouted. "You have no idea what we're doing here! We don't want you around!"

"Why? Why do you guys leave me out of everything?" He asked innocently. "I'm your brother. I wanna be with you guys, too!"

The other bullies just laughed. "That little puss is your _brother?_ "

"Man, and here we were afraid of you guys. That boy is a stain on your record!" And he fell on the pavement laughing his ass off. Indeed, the older Scott brothers had red faces now.

"Get outta here, you pathetic little shit. We don't need you ruining our image!" Jack shouted.

"But I can take these guys down!" He charged straight at them, but they only grabbed him by his neck and laughed out loud as he struggled to land a hit on them.

"Man, I outta take this kid home and raise him as my new dog!"

"Ha! You probably won't need a BEWARE OF DOG sign on your fence!"

The Scotts looked at him, not only embarrassed, but also furious. But just as Jessie was about to grab him outta their hands, Jeremy kicked the bully holding him by his neck right in the groin.

The bully dropped him and his face turned white as he let out a high-pitched scream of agony. The others stopped laughing then, as the bully collapsed on the ground, holding his bruised family jewels. Then Jeremy charged at another bully, tackled him to the ground and bit his cheek so hard that it tore the skin off and blood poured out.

"OOWWWWWWWW!" The bully was now screaming in pain and even crying after being attacked in such a manner. As if on instinct, the other Scotts rushed forward and pummeled the two downed bullies until they shouted, "Please! Stop! We surrender!" The two handed over their wallets and limped away. The other bullies did the same.

Jeremy felt proud of himself. After being held back and teased, he finally had a moment to prove himself. He was so sure now that his brothers would no longer call him small and weak and value him as one of their own. But he could not have been more wrong.

"Don't come anywhere near us again!" Jack snarled.

"You're just a wimpy excuse for a brother!" Shouted Jacob, one of the others. "When Jasper and Jason were your age, they could have taken down a major-league home runner!" Jacob collected the money on the ground, and evenly distributed it among the gang, except for you-know-who, who didn't get any.

"But…But…" Jeremy stuttered. "But I helped-"

"But, but, but, but. That's something we hear from you far too much!" Jordan, the oldest shouted. "Since you like that word so much, here's a message for you: BUTT OUT!" he picked up Jeremy and threw him aside, by the sewer grate on the road. "Come on, let's get outta here."

They left, and Jasper said to Jeremy, in a much kinder voice, but still one that expressed anger, "Look, Jer. Just stay out from now on, OK? You're not skilled or strong enough to be around us. So please, do us and yourself a favor, and stay with ma from now on."

As they left, Jeremy thought he heard one of them say, "I swear, he's not our brother. There must have been a switch-up at the hospital. Our real brother is probably with the wrong family." That was enough to bring Jeremy to tears. Even that wasn't enough to get his brothers to like him. He now had to face the facts: He was a wimp, and he would never be as strong as his brothers, no matter how hard he tried. He got up from the ground, and walked slowly to his favorite place: The pond.

He liked going to the pond near his house. His brothers never visited here, so it was a place that he knew for sure he would always be alone at. Plus, looking out on the water always gave him a feeling of peace and tranquility. He also loved to watch the ducks in the water. He wished he was one, so that he wouldn't have to put up with the kind of abuse that he had to put up with regularly at home.

Jeremy had a roll on his lunchbox that his mother put in. He pulled it out, and tore some pieces off, and threw them into the water. The ducks immediately swam towards the bread crumbs and snacked on them. After that, they left the water and walked over to the bench that Jeremy was sitting on. They looked at him with puppy-dog-like eyes that said, "Please give us more." Jeremy happily did. Other birds were also swooping down and eating the snacks. Some landed on Jeremy's head and shoulders. Although he didn't know what they were saying through their quacks and chirping, Jeremy knew they liked him. At least he found some friends elsewhere, even if they weren't human.

After half an hour, he left. He didn't want to go back home just yet though. Dinner wasn't ready yet and he might run into his brothers again before he wanted to see them again. He knew his ma would stop them from being abusive to him in the house, but he knew she wouldn't seem them out of the house.

He walked through a small strip mall that was near the house. Sometimes his brothers would stop at the local diner for some burgers and sodas, always without him. Sometimes Jack would venture into the bookstore, and Jasper would check out the dress shop. Jeremy never had any interest in anything here except for a trading card shop which sold his favorite baseball cards of famous players such as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, among others. There was also a music store there, but Jeremy wasn't into music, so he simply walked on by, as usual.

But as he did, a man who worked there leaned out and said, "Hey kid! Nice day, isn't it?"

Jeremy just shrugged and muttered, "Yeah. Nice." He thought and hoped that the man would leave him alone and let him continue on his walk, but he was wrong.

"Hey kid, what's wrong?"

Surprised to hear such concern from a total stranger, Jeremy only said, "Nothing. I'm fine."

"No you're not. I can tell you're having problems. A lot of us are. You want to come in talk to somebody?"

"No."

"Please? I know I'm just a guy who sells instruments, but I do care about others. So could you please come in?"

Jeremy sighed. He did need someplace to stay away from the house for another hour or two. "Fine. It's not like it could get any worse than this."

He walked into the store. There were shiny new instruments on display everywhere. Guitars, drums, electronic keyboards, horns, harmonicas, everything. There was a lot of people there trying out all these instruments and looking at sheet music as well. There was also a huge display of vinyl records, both albums and singles. They had all of Jeremy's favorites, including Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, and even Roy Orbison. The ones the girls went crazy for were Elvis and Frank Sinatra, the latter of whom Jeremy didn't like too much. Except for this one album of his called _In the Wee Small Hours_. He thought that one was interesting. There were also some posters and advertising flyers around the place for this new band called The Beatles, whose debut single, "Love Me Do," was due out next week. This interested him.

"A lot of people come here in their times of trouble. Listening to and even playing music is often a way to escape from life for them. How bout you pick up a guitar and try it yourself? There's a brand-new Gibson SG over there."

Jeremy grabbed if off the display rack. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this. But as he saw someone else strum some riffs on a vintage Les Paul, he thought it sounded cool. So he tried it out himself. He liked it. He picked up some music books and began teaching himself how to play the instrument properly. After a while, he forgot how bad he was feeling and was enjoying himself, but that feeling faded away as soon as he left the store and went home. He knew that if he stayed out any longer, his ma would worry, even if his brothers wouldn't.

That night, Jeremy ate dinner with his mother and brothers. His brothers never said a word to him, as their mother forbade them from being abusive to the runt of the little in her house. Still, they exchanged angry glances at him and continued to snarl at him even when he was alone in his room.

This was the average day for the young, seven-year-old Jeremy Scott. He hated it. He wanted to leave home as soon as possible.

As the years went by, his brothers softened up slightly. They began to recognize his running and aiming skills, even if they didn't express it aloud, and sometimes they let him tag along with them, although it was always because ma told them to, or because Jeremy blackmailed them, threatening to tell ma if he didn't get to come. As a result, he was allowed to go with them on some adventures of theirs, such as to Vegas to see Elvis in concert, at Red Sox Baseball games, at the premiere of the 1970 film _MASH_ and even one that they asked him to tag along at: A performance in Madison Square Garden by stand-up comedian George Carlin. But he was sure that they still hated him and wanted him to leave. Despite their seemingly soft stances towards Jeremy, he felt even more unhappy and rejected. He wanted to leave.

Then one day, he received a letter in the mail from a company called Mann Co. This letter changed his life forever.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

( _Slight fast-forward: 1978_ )

It was nighttime at the Scott residence. All of the Scott brothers have since moved out of the house and into houses of their own (except for Jared, who continued to live as a hobo). However, tonight was a great night for them. This was their family reunion night. This was a day that all were excited for.

By now, the brothers were all adults and all of them had mellowed out a lot. They no longer felt any hostility towards their youngest and accepted him as one of their own. The seven brothers were all gathered in the house, drinking, smoking, laughing and making fun of each other.

"'Ey Jack. How many girls did your new self-help book attract?" Jasper jokingly asked, prompting a huge round of laughter from everyone except the person being asked.

"Shut your ass, fem-bro," Jack growled.

Jack appeared to be the most professional of the group. He wore a large black turtleneck sweater and long brown pants and had a fine mustache on his face. He was now making a living as a writer and self-help advice columnist. Or at least he tried to. He just barely was successful enough to keep his own house.

Jasper was much more successful in his field. He was a fashion designer and he very much enjoyed designing women's dresses, mostly for weddings and parties. He was by far the most feminine of the gang, which led to him replacing Jeremy as the most-teased brother.

Jason, his twin, was a hippie. His clothing was very mismatched and his short blonde hair was messy. He wore sunglasses, had "Summer of Love '67" tattoos, and rode a Harley-Davidson. He was gaining ground as a microbrewer. He bought some land in Badlands, New Mexico to set up his brewery in. Unknown to him, his brother Jeremy used to fight there.

Jacob, the technology geek, was the strangest of the group. He was very overweight and had lots of pimples and acne on his face. He wore round glasses, a plaid button-up shirt and large brown loafers. He was now helping some guy named Bill Gates, whom the Scotts never heard of before, in his new startup company, which the Scotts jokingly said was named after his genitals.

Jared, the hobo of the group, was by far the least successful despite being the third oldest. He wore a large red sweatshirt, black pants, and a stoner cap. He was the only one of the brothers to have a full-fledged beard, and he smelled like he hadn't had a shower in weeks, which was probably true.

Jessie was very aggressive, but he was trying to change that. He was a criminal-turned-chef, and had recently been promoted to top chef at the local Olive Garden. He was responsible for all the food that had prepared for that evening.

Jordan, the oldest of the bunch, was now a fitness trainer. He was very large and muscular and wore a tight red shirt and basketball shorts. While training others, he was very strict and would push his trainees to their limits. This toughness showed in the way he spoke tonight.

The seven were having a wonderful time. They continued to laugh and drink and eat up all of Jessie's food and reminiscing about the good old days. But they were most anxious for their youngest blood to show up.

But after an hour passed, he didn't. The brothers were surprised by this, as Jeremy kept time pretty well, but they shrugged it off. He was probably just running late. Maybe traffic was bad or something. And it was only 6:00 PM. The night was still young.

7:00 PM. No Jeremy. Some were starting to worry, but others assured them that he would be here.

8:00 PM. Still no Jeremy. Now even Jordan and Jessie, the toughest of the group were worried.

"Crap. He's still not here." Sweat was coming down Jordan's face, and it wasn't the type he got from working out. "Crap, crap, crap." He was running his hands through his short hair. The others stared at him, looking at him as if to say, "What will we do?"

"Should we start making some calls?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Jordan said.

Thankfully, their mother had an address book in her house, which had some phone numbers in it. Maybe one of them would help track Jeremy down. They noticed he left one for his mother to personally call him at. This was his phone at the main RED Team base in 2Fort. They dialed it up, but all they got was a dial tone.

Next, they called Mann Co., the company that recruited him. To their surprise, they didn't know what happened to Jeremy either. Apparently he and the rest of the RED Team suddenly disappeared and nobody knew where. The administrator, along with her assistant, was now trying to track them down, but they had no leads.

By now, the brothers were scared shitless. Their brother had just vanished. They now feared the worst. They continued calling numbers everywhere, to the hospital, the morgue, the Boston government, even the FBI, but they were just as confused. Their records showed no signs of activity from their brother for a few months now. The "current residence" part was out of date, as the house Jeremy lived in was now empty, and he didn't say where he went now, and even their probes couldn't find him anywhere. They assumed that he was most likely dead now.

Jordan, who made that call, hung up the phone, and slowly sat down in his chair, with his head on his hands. He couldn't believe the words he just heard: " _Your brother is probably dead now._ "

"What happened?" Jason asked. "Oh man, this does not look cool."

"No…" Jordan said, in a very strained voice. "…It's not."

"He's not…dead…is he?" Jessie asked.

"That's…what it looks like. I can't find him anywhere. Nobody knows where he is."

Everyone was speechless. They couldn't believe it. But their shock quickly faded away and turned to sadness.

"How could this happen? What could have caused this?"

"Was it an accident? Was he killed? Was it a…suici-"

After hearing that word, their sadness then faded into guilt.

"Guys?" Jack spoke up. "We haven't been very nice to him, have we?"

Everyone was silent. No one wanted to admit it, but he was right. They constantly picked on him, mocked him, insulted him, and showed utter indifference towards him.

"No," Jordan admitted. "We were bullies instead of brothers."

"He's right," Jessie acknowledged sadly. "We never let him in our gang, we never took him with us, we only did when Ma told us to."

"I actually said he wasn't our real brother," Jack said. Everyone stared at him in betrayal, but they knew they thought the same about him. "Oh, God," he was the first to break down. "What have I done? I'm so sorry, Jeremy. None of that was true. Your _are_ our brother. I don't know why I ever said that."

Seeing Jack cry brought everyone else to tears. First the twins, Jasper and Jason, as they had a bit more sympathy for Jeremy than the others did. Then Jared, and then Jacob, then Jessie, and finally Jordan, the oldest and toughest of the group.

"Jacob, you idiot," Jasper said bitterly. "Why did you threaten to beat him up just for taking your cookies?"

"Hey, don't go blaming me for this!"

"But it's your fault. You gave cookies to the rest of us but wouldn't let him have a crumb. Naturally, he'd want some of it, but that one time, _that one time_ , you saw him with his hands on your oh-so-precious cookies, you threatened to kill him if you ever saw him like that again. Now me, I pitied him. I felt sorry for him and wanted him to be in our gang."

"Oh, really?!" Jacob shouted. "You think you're such a fucking saint?! Then why didn't you help cheer him up when he was down?! Why didn't you help him when he needed it?! You're no better than the rest of us!"

"Well, at least I'm better than Jackie over there!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"You heard me. You're the one who said he wasn't our brother. You and Jess are the biggest pieces of shit I have ever lived with!"

The brothers then started bickering to each other about who played the bigger part in their brother's death. But this quickly ended when Jordan slammed his fist on the table and shouted, **"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!"** So everyone did. Jordan was large enough and his voice was deep enough that all did as he said without further comment.

"Look, this hard for us to stomach, I know. But blaming each other is not going to help anything!

Besides, it doesn't matter who played the biggest role in this. We all pitched in. We all isolated our own flesh and blood and made him feel unwanted. _All of us_. Myself included. And this bickering amongst ourselves is the main reason why he left us like this." He then said in a cracking voice. "This is all our faults. Bickering about this will just tear us up even more."

The brothers felt sad. Seeing the oldest cry meant that something was very wrong. They all felt embarrassed of themselves. This embarrassment hurt even more than any time they were seen with Jeremy. Finally, Jared spoke up.

"You know, our brother was much stronger than we gave him credit for. He was good at running, he was good at aiming, even. Did you see the way he played darts? Bulls-eye every time. He was less of a wimp than we said he was, and we knew that."

"God," Jessie said. "What have we done? Not only did we fail our brother, we failed our own Ma." As soon as Jessie said this, it hit the brothers. No one would feel more upset over their brother's death than their mother. They would soon tell this to her, and they could only imagine how hurt she would be from hearing this. This was the worst guilt they could ever feel: Knowing that they let their own mother down.

"Man," Jason said. "Ma will surely disown us now."

"Yeah," Jacob agreed. "And we'll deserve it."

Jordan poured glasses of beer for everyone sitting around the table. He then held his up, and the other brothers followed suit.

"To our brother Jeremy. He was one of us. He was a strong man who took too much friendly fire. We'll miss you, little bro. We hope you're in a better place now." They all took a sip. Despite the alcohol, they didn't feel any better about things.

Just then, they heard a motorcycle revving at the front door of the house. This got everyone's attention. They all ran over to the front window. Despite all they heard, none completely gave up hope that Jeremy would return some day.

They saw a man stepping down from the motorcycle and shutting it off. This man wasn't Jeremy, but as he walked closer to the porch light, the brothers could clearly see who he was. He was a tall man, dressed in a red suit, with a balaclava covering his face. Some of the younger brothers, such as Jason and Jasper, didn't really know who he was and what he was doing here, but the older ones, namely Jordan and Jack, knew who this strange man was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

( _Present Day: Christmas Eve, 2077_ )

In a way, Jordan was right. Their younger brother _was_ in a better place now. He was in his own house in Cannon Beach, Oregon, spinning a lovely Korean girl around in his arms. She was giggling at this sudden gesture that he made when she suddenly knocked on his door. Hana Song wrapped her arms lovingly around Jeremy and kissed him on the cheek. It was like a dream come true for her.

"I can't believe you came," Jeremy said.

"The girls said you needed someone," Hana said. "And so did I."

"Lena? Emily?" Jeremy was shocked. "You called her?"

"Yes," Emily said. "It was back at the diner. We decided to get her out here because we starting to get hor-" Lena quickly covered her girlfriend's mouth with her hand.

"Er, um… _worried_ that you were becoming depressed again, so we thought we'd call up someone that you said that you wished to see again."

Both parties blushed. Hana couldn't believe this. Jeremy wanted to see her again? Of course he did, but he didn't want her to know that _just yet_.

"Is this true?" She asked. "You wanted to see me again?"

"Well…uh…Yeah. I did. I was getting lonely, and I wanted something a little more than what these two here could give. But I…didn't…know that…you…"

"Oh, I left Overwatch," Hana said. "I'm not a member anymore."

"What?!" Jeremy was amazed. "You too? What happened? You didn't get lonely and depressed over me too, did you?!"

"No," Hana said. "It was…something else."

"Yeah, you said over the phone that the inner bickering had stopped, but you said you quit for another reason. What was it?"

"Well…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

( _Flashback: Not too long ago_ )

 _After you left, morale hit rock bottom for Overwatch. Everyone there was feeling so guilty over their actions from earlier that they all swore amongst themselves that they would personally change themselves and set aside all differences for the good of humanity. After all, the world does need its' heroes, but not if those heroes are trying to kill each other._

McCree and Hanzo were frequently seen sipping on whiskey and sake, and sometimes even playing cards together. It was as if Hanzo was kidnapped and was replaced by some imposter.

Winston and Pharah also patched things up as well. When Lena said she looked at them as her parents, they began looking at her as their daughter. The two then began to reconcile, hoping they might be able to get their daughter back someday.

 _But our problems were far from over._

It was just a typical day at Overwatch. Well, less than typical, actually. Everyone was still upset that Tracer chose to part ways from them. Some were sitting around, moping, others were more optimistic that she would return someday.

Mercy had never been the same since Medic left. She still had a picture of him hanging in her sickbay. It was captioned with writing that read: " _Mein Herz_."

D. Va was by far taking this the worst. Tracer was her closest friend on the team, and the only one she felt comfortable confiding in since Scout's departure. She cried a lot recently. Usually on her bed, where no one could see her. This was where she was right now. Playing video games on her gamepad, and remaining optimistic that better times were coming.

Suddenly, everyone was interrupted when the front entrance to Watchpoint was forced open and several armed men and women stormed into the base shouting, "FBI! Everyone get down, put your hands behind your heads and shut up!" This got everyone's attention. Some of them did as told, others didn't.

"Hey, what do you think you're doin' 'ere, Mate? This is private property of Overwatch!" But the feds tackled Junkrat to the ground and handcuffed him behind his back. Symmetra was dragged from her workshop, also handcuffed. Winston was tied up by several officials and tasered him to the ground.

Mercy was also dragged from her sickbay by the cops, trying to wrestle her way out, and shouting, "I'm Swiss! I am not Communist!"

Mei was eating chow mien in her room, and was just about to finish the last few noodles, when her bowl and chopsticks were forced out of her hands, and she found several guns pointed at her head. Then one of the feds said, "Get up! Place your hands behind your head, or your little droid gets it!" He held Snowball in his hand, which looked strong enough to crush her poor robot to death. She quickly did as told, even though she was confused why she had to.

D. Va, with her headphones on, didn't hear any of this happening. She didn't know what was going on until the feds kicked her door down. She saw this and was immediately startled. Of course, she too was handcuffed and led outside, where the last of Overwatch was being rounded up, with Torbjorn getting his claw clamped shut and Hanzo wrestling from their tight grip. "You can't arrest me! I'm a Shimada!" But he was only whacked on the head and a fed shouted, "Keep your mouth shut if you don't want your intestines ripped out!"

 _I had no idea what was going on. All of a sudden, we were all arrested. Next thing we know, we were in police vehicles on our way to the station. How was I supposed to know what they were doing? We hadn't done anything wrong. At least nothing I knew of. But I knew this was a bad situation, and anything we did here could only make it worse. We exercised our rights to remain silent._

Finally, after an hour, Overwatch arrived at the Gibraltar Police Department station. They were all very confused as all the cops gave them ugly looks. "What's happening? Why are we here?" D. Va asked, but the cops only pointed them in the direction they were going.

The room they were all shoved into was that of the Gibraltar Chief of Police. He was not amused to see them. He didn't say anything other than, "I suppose you're wondering what you're doing here?" He didn't answer. He simply flipped on a TV, and it played a news headline:

" _Good morning, Gibraltar. It is now half past eight in the morning of December 23, 2077._

 _We have a breaking news story today. A notable death has happened near the Seine River in France just yesterday._

 _Gabriel Reyes, known to many as the wanted man Reaper, has met his match today. An unidentified assailant was seen fighting with Reyes on a bridge above the river. The fight ended when Reyes was pushed off the bridge and into the river. He was then sucked into the turbines below, where he was shredded into a bloody mess._

 _While no one is likely to mourn his passing, it is still illegal to murder a wanted man, unless in self-defense, which, according to this video captured by a passer-by, was not at all the case. The attacker cannot be identified in this video, as they appeared to be heavily cloaked and disguised, but there are some suspects who possibly played a role in his murder._

 _The Gibraltar Police Department largely suspect that the organization of "heroes" known as Overwatch, might have had something to do with this. They have had a long history, which did not turn out well for any of them, and as such, they are highly suspected of setting up a plot to kill Reyes. While there is currently no concrete evidence to support this, the GPD highly suspects Overwatch to be the main factor behind his death. And from what I hear, the public at large would not be surprised if this was true. And at the risk of sounding a little biased, neither would I. Huh? Excuse me. What's that, Tom? OK. This just in. The GPD has issued an arrest warrant for all members of Overwatch. The FBI is currently on the way to their base in Watchpoint, where they will be arrested and brought in for questioning. No further details on this matter. We will keep you updated on this story as it progresses._

 _And in other news today, the winners of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Olympics will receive their gold medals-_ " The Police chief flipped the TV off.

Overwatch had their jaws on the ground. Reaper was killed? Or at least, the Imposter Reaper? They couldn't tell anymore. Maybe the whole thing was just a lie and this was the real Reaper. Or maybe not. They couldn't tell anymore. But either way, Reaper murdered? It didn't sound right.

"Now you know the story, now let's get on with the questioning. And frankly, I hope you are the murderers, then we will have an excuse to finally put you cocksuckers away." And they were led into a prison cell.

 _So, naturally, they began harassing us about this whole thing. I mean, seriously, why?! Did we look like killers? Did we look like a bunch of brainless dimwits who shoot up guys just for fun and money? No offense, Jeremy._

None taken.

 _I didn't believe this was happening. In all the years I had known everyone on Overwatch, I would never suspect anyone of being guilty of murdering someone in cold fucking blood. If this was indeed an inside job, I would soon be guilty of the crime they were accusing me of._

Hana was led into a room where she would get her mugshot. She was given a plaque that red:

LAST NAME: Song

FIRST NAME: Hana

OTHER NAME(S): D. Va

COUTNRY OF ORIGIN: Korea

CHARGE(S): Murder of Gabriel "Reaper" Reyes (suspect at large)

Mercy was just getting finished with her mugshot. The camera had just taken her sideways picture. Then she was led out and Hana was up next. She posed for the camera, intentionally not smiling. They shot her picture, then she turned sideways and another picture was taken. Then she was led out and into a holding cell.

 _Then came the interrogations. Mei got off easily. That little bitch was able to look cute enough to worm her way out of it. Snowball wasn't hurt. Badly. Poor little robot did get some dents, but that was it. Aside from Mei, the easiest one who got out was Zenyatta, as it is against a robot's programming to lie. But I wasn't so lucky._

Hana was sitting in a dark room with some cops surrounding her. She had shackles around her wrists and ankles, and a headband around her forehead. This and the shackles were wired and hooked up to a lie-detecting machine.

"Have you ever shown any hostility towards Mr. Reyes in your lifetime?"

"No!" Hana shouted. "Never!" A red light flashed on the machine, and a buzzer sounded, indicating that she had lied. The cops glared at her. "Oh, all right, maybe I did a little. But I didn't kill him!" A green light flashed, and the machine dinged. D. Va told the truth.

"OK, doing good so far. Do you know of anybody else on Overwatch who might have been responsible for this?"

"No! I never pictured anyone else here as a killer." _Ding!_

"Checks out. OK, Rattman. Let her go."

"Oh, thank you guys, because I have a hot date tonight!" _Buzzer_.

"Oh, OK, a blind date tonight." _Buzzer_. The cops gathered around, grinning. They wanted to see just how far this girl would embarrass herself.

"I've got a family get-together tonight." _Buzzer._

"Dinner with friends." _Buzzer_.

"Dinner alone." _Buzzer_.

"Eating cake alone." _Buzzer_.

"Playing video games alone." _Buzzer_.

Hana sighed. "OK, I'm going to sit at the base, all by myself, and I'm gonna ogle the models in the Calvin Klein catalogue." _Buzzer_.

Hana closed her eyes and sank her head down. "Men's Wearhouse catalogue." _Ding!_

"Now willya _unhook me from this?!_ I don't deserve this kinda shabby treatment!" _Buzzer._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D. Va was led into a prison cell. Despite being cleared of the charges pressed against her, the police decided not to release anyone from Overwatch until all had been checked out. The said that it would take all night to process all data collected, so they would all spend the night in jail cells. Angry but wanting to get this over with, all Overwatch members complied. Except for Hanzo. He tried to put up a fight with the cops, but this only led to him getting put in solitary confinement. D. Va, who was sharing a cell with McCree, teased him. "Sad about your boyfriend getting locked up in the dark?"

"Don't call him my boyfriend! I hate that prick! He had it coming!"

"Yeah, sure you do, you whiskey-and-sake sippers." McCree turned red. He can't believe D. Va saw them drinking.

"Hana, quit teasing him. It's OK if he's gay. You know that," Mercy said from a cell across from her.

"Oh come on, it was only a joke."

"Ah, it may be a joke, but for some people, it's personal." She was somewhat teasing him too. "Some people, even today, have trouble showing their true emotions, which is not-"

"Don't touch me, motherfucker!" Her cellmate, Pharah, shouted. "We don't need _them_ saying any more things about us!"

"Whatever you say, dearie."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, the cell doors opened up and all Overwatch members were led back to the police chief. Everyone was hoping that this was it. That he was about to declare them all innocent and order their immediate release.

What happened was…well, that. Naturally. But not before getting chewed out.

"Well, well, well. Here comes the heroes we don't want or need." That was his way of saying "Good morning" to those gathered around his desk. "Last night, we had 12 private detectives review the information that each of you has given us." He said in a very low voice, with a very serious look on his face. "If we had our way around here, all of you would be jailed up and never able to see the light of day again. You call yourselves heroes, and yet you spend most of your time disturbing the peace and blowing things up for no reason. No one would blame me for canning your asses. In fact, I'd probably be hailed a hero myself. More so than any of you. I don't think I'm doing a good job keeping it secret that I don't like any of you. I don't your jerk-off names. I don't like your jerk-off faces, I don't like your jerk-off behavior, and I don't like you, jerk-offs.

That said, after reviewing the data collected from all of you, we, as much as I hate to say this, we have no choice but to declare each and every one of you not guilty for the death of Gabriel Reyes, better known as Reaper."

 _Well of course not. Nobody on Overwatch could even properly execute an inside job like that even if they wanted to_.

"You are cleared of all charges, and we would like you to exit this building as soon as possible. Guards, show them the way."

The police guards led them to a large and study steel door, which slowly opened. Overwatch was met with a great view of the early morning sunrise ahead of them, as well as a far less pleasant sight.

Anti-Overwatch protestors lined the streets outside the prison cell. They were all very angry and holding up signs that showed nothing but pure hatred towards the group. Everyone was shouting. Some had various objects in the hands that were certainly meant to be thrown at the people walking out of the prison. They were only held back by the police barricade set up between them and their victims.

To Overwatch's surprise, as soon as they all stepped out, the prison doors closed behind them.

 _I was like, "Are you serious? You dragged us all the way from our base to interrogate us for a crime which_ none of us had any part in, _and you're not even gonna bother to give us a ride back? What the hell is wrong with those guys?! You expect us to fight our way through…that?!"_ A large sign one of the protestors was holding said it all: "FUCK YOU OVERWATCH!"

People were on all sides of them, shouting things such as, "BLOW IT OUT YOUR BIG, PROMINENT ASSES, YOU BASTARDS!" "GO TO HELL!" "NOVERWATCH HERE!" "EAT SHIT!" Some was even thrown at them. Landed right on Hanzo's face. He was angry, but Genji was beyond furious. "These ungrateful people need to be taught a lesson!" He tried to unsheathe his sword, but his brother stopped him.

"No! We can't give them any reason to hate us more!" Reluctantly, Genji put his sword back, and just continued walking by.

It was hard for some like Mei and D. Va to hold back tears as they were putting up with fruit and garbage being thrown into their faces, while shouts of "FUCK YOU PIGS!" rang so clearly in their ears.

And it didn't stop there. After a while came the death threats. People were actually threatening to break into all Overwatch bases and kill everybody, one by one. "YOUR ANGEL WON'T SAVE YOU NOW!" Some were even holding firearms and even knives drenched in pure blood. At least that's what it looked like to Mercy. Others showed their anger in more subtle, yet still obvious ways, such as by snapping pencils in half, and stepping on Overwatch-marked glassware with their feet, breaking it.

Finally, they left the crowd of protestors and continued to walk back to Watchpoint. As the shouts of "WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO" faded away, everyone now realized just how much the people hated their guts.

 _I couldn't believe it. I knew we didn't have the best relationship with the people we were supposed to be protecting, but I didn't think they'd ever threaten to kill us. I mean, what kind of superhero organization are you if the people you swore you'd keep safe want you dead?_

( _Flashback ends_ )

"So…What happened to Overwatch?" Lena said.

D. Va, running her fingers together said, "Winston said that he would announce that Overwatch would disband and no one would engage in further superhero activity."

Lena gasped. "Did that actually happen?" She couldn't believe that Winston would simply end Overwatch like that.

"No, of course not." Lena sighed in relief. "Winston said that Overwatch would continue in top secrecy. This includes moving to a new base, somewhere in New Mexico, I think he said, and never showing themselves until a time of desperate need, when they can properly prove that the world needs heroes.

But I decided it was enough for me. I couldn't live knowing that people wanted me dead. It was one thing to have evil people like Talon want me six feet under, it's another thing entirely knowing that nearly everyone in the world wants my head. I couldn't take it. The goddamn plane had crashed into the mountain. I told Winston I too was leaving. He didn't take it real well, but he understood why I did that.

So then I went home to Korea. Pretty fast, actually, and then I got the call from you and Emily, saying that you wanted me over here, so here I am."

"Well, thanks for coming, love." Lena said. "There's somebody here who really needs some love. We hope you can help him."

Hana looked at Jeremy. She felt butterflies in her stomach from seeing him, and even more so from hearing that he actually needed her to love him. Jeremy felt the same way. He now felt really bad for leaving her before. He never realized just how gorgeous she looked. He was more of a personality guy, but he couldn't deny that she looked so smokin' hot. And her persona was not that far off from Lena's. He could see this working out.

After a period of time which just had the two of them staring at each other, Emily said, "I think we should leave you two alone for now. There's some business in the kitchen that demands our attention."

"Yep!" Lena chimed in. "Jeremy's making fondue for dinner tonight! We better make sure the steak and chicken are cooking well!" And they left.

Now Hana and Jeremy were alone. Hana was so nervous. "So…um…" She finally spoke up. "Nice…Nice place you here."

"You like it?"

"Yeah! I've…never seen a house so big. Did you build it yourself?"

"Yep. Always wanted to live in a house like this!" They were seated in the living room on the first floor, just by the front door. "And this is just the beginning! You haven't seen the pool yet!"

"Pool?" Hana asked with great anticipation. "You have a swimming pool here?"

"Yep. And it's indoor, so we don't have to wait until summer to go swimming!"

Hana was excited. She couldn't wait to see the house. But before she got too excited, Jeremy said to her, "Um…You…wanna go…grab some coffee or something? It'll be a few hours before dinner's ready."

Hana was surprised but pleased to hear Jeremy ask her out on a date, even if it was just for coffee. But it's OK. Maybe they just needed to take it slow at first. "I would love to," was all she said.

 **I apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I've had so much going on in college right now, and I'm not really in the best place emotionally right now. I'm surprised I still have the energy to write this fanfiction, to be honest.**

 **A few things to explain. First of all, I wanted Hana to actually leave Overwatch, but not under the same circumstances as Tracer. I wanted her to leave for a reason other than inner fighting and because she was lonely. If I did that, it would have felt too much like a rehash to me.**

 **Also, the decision to actually kill off Reaper comes from my earlier chapter revealing him as an imposter. A lot of people have said that part sucks and that's weird, and…Yeah. They're right. It is. I hate what I wrote. It's just…Ugh. This is what happens when you let your mind wander and it doesn't come back. I thought I could redeem that stupid mistake I made by just writing him out of the story.**

 **One very important thing I wish to discuss. I will probably end this story after writing one more chapter.**

 **BUT!**

 **But, listen closely. This is very important.**

 **I do want to continue writing about this. I really do. I even have some stories that I can write about here to keep this going for a long time.**

 **The thing is, it's all much happier and shows Scout, Tracer, Emily, and D. Va living in much happier times doing fun things together, and it just doesn't belong in a story labeled Hurt/Comfort.**

 **So what I plan to do here is end this story after one more chapter that I have in mind, and then start writing a sequel that's more about romance, humor, and yes, even action. I do have some stories in mind to tell. Someone pointed out that I should have Miss Pauling return on a mission from the Administrator to find her missing mercs, which I've decided to incorporate into my story here. I also plan on having the RED Team** _ **and**_ **Overwatch reunite at some point, as many people seem to want. I also formally introduced Scout's brothers here and left their story on a cliffhanger. I'm not leaving that unresolved. Also, who killed Reaper? That's what** _ **I**_ **want to know.**

 **So thank you all for continuing to read this, and as always, please leave reviews.** _ **PLEASE.**_ **I cannot stress that enough. I want feedback. I want people to know what they think of what I've written here.**

 **See you for the final chapter! And the story that comes after it!**


	23. Chapter 23: I'm Ready to Face the Future

" **So overwatch is going to sell hats and guns until the next crisis huh? Or is Mann Co. Still alive and they need heroes?"**

 **Neither. Just wait and see.**

" **Plus I know who the strange man is, the one with the Scout's brothers. Pretty sure I know who he is."**

 **-GameQ**

 **Given the description I gave him, you'd have to be an idiot not to. But we'll not touch on that in this story. We will in part 2, though.**

" **Ok, I really want to see the Mercs get back together. It just isn't the same without the whole gang." – Lord Demolitons**

 **I agree, but since this was a Scout story, I had to make it about him. But the mercs will be back.**

 **And for those of you wondering, the interrogation scene was a reference to The Simpsons. Specifically, the scene in the episode Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two), when Moe is being questioned for the said crime. I find most Simpsons references I put in connect back to Moe. Makes sense because he's my favorite character.**

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 **Well guys, here it is. This chapter will be the last one in this story. It's not because I don't like writing anymore or anything like that, but as one reviewer pointed out, the point of this story was Scout being depressed and attempting suicide, but now that that story arc is coming to end, I feel like this fanfiction should as well. I actually wanted to end it much sooner, as some of you know, but I wanted D. Va back in the picture. I'm more comfortable with it now than I was before. I think she and Scout would make a cute couple. I just hope after I write this, some Scout x D. Va Tumblr groups will start. I actually wanted to end at after the last chapter, in fact, but I wanted to show Scout and D. Va trying to make their relationship work. I felt like implying it wasn't enough for viewers. I felt like I had to actually show it.**

 **Also, some people have been asking me about the "personal problems" that I talked about in the last chapter. I won't share because most of them are, well, personal. However, I will share one which I think many TF2 players can relate with me on.**

 **Team Fortress 2 has been my favorite game for as long as I can remember, and I'm feeling very upset that it's not doing so well now, especially compared to the other game that's crossing over in this story. I have to admit, I do feel a little bitterness towards Overwatch for TF2's woes now, but I have to admit, with Meet Your Match, TF2 also brought itself down. Honestly, I think it's a combination of the two. Still, despite writing about Overwatch in a (I hope) non-biased way, I do feel a little bias against it. It's more bitterness, really.**

 **I really hope that something comes along that returns TF2 to mainstream popularity. If this fanfiction contributes to that, I will consider myself extremely lucky. Even more so if I get hired by Valve to write for them.**

 **But, as I said, I will follow this up with another story, showing life for the two, as well as Tracer and Emily, and even the rest of the TF2/OW characters after this, but it won't be a hurt/comfort story. It will be more focused on action and humor. See why I can't really continue it with this specific story now?**

 **Well, enough chitchat from me. Let's begin wrapping this story up!**

 **And there will be lemons in this story, so BEWARE!**

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" _Don't you know…_

 _Don't you know…_

 _Don't you know that you are a shooting star?_

 _And all the world will love you just as long,_

 _As long as you are?_ "

That was the song that Jeremy and Hana Song were listening to in their car as they were driving to the nearest Dutch Brothers coffee shop from Jeremy's Cannon Beach estate. As they were listening to it, Hana said to him, "I think this song really suits you," with a smile.

"Someday, I hope it does," Jeremy said. "I just hope I don't die early. Jesus, I can't believe I just said that so soon after I tried to shoot myself." He chuckled a bit, but Hana didn't share the humor.

"I hope you don't try that again," she said, very concerned.

"I won't," Jeremy reassured her. "Those days are behind me. I'm feelin' better now."

"Good." Hana felt better after hearing that.

They pulled into the parking lot. It was a very small shop. It was one of those shops that didn't have seating. It could only be bought in a drive-thru. Jeremy said, "I've never been to this place before. From what these people tell me, it's a very good place for coffee."

"Well, I'll give it a try," Hana said. She didn't care about the coffee, to be completely honest. She was just happy to spend time with him. She was even happier that he was giving her a chance at a serious relationship.

Jeremy ordered his favorite drink, which was a caramel mocha. Hana ordered an Irish Cream latte. They also bought a large chocolate chip cookie to share. When they drove away from the window, Jeremy said, "I know the law says not to drink and drive. Screw it, I'm doin' it anyway." And he took a sip of his mocha. Hana giggled. She liked that he had a sense of humor. Well, technically, she had a drink that shouldn't be in the car, either: Irish Cream, even though it was non-alcoholic.

"So," she said, trying to strike up a conversation. "What…Have you been doing since you left?"

"Well…" Jeremy wasn't sure if Hana would be interested in what he was doing, but he decided to tell her anyway. If she was going to be his new girlfriend, he owed it to her. "As you see, I've got myself a nice house. Everything I've ever wanted. It's got a recording studio, a theater for watchin' movies, a pool, a man cave, which is basically all the things I've seen grown-ups have that I wanted. It's got a bar, some game tables, and a couple TVs. One for watchin' the Red Sox kill the St. Louis Cardinals at the World Series, and another for games."

Hana was excited. "You have video games?"

"Yeah! Not really good at 'em, though. I just got started."

"Well, I'll be happy to help you. I'll buy games for you and teach you how to play them!"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you 'bout that. I mean, I know you're so good at games. I saw you playin' on that…what do you call it, a pad? So I thought, 'Hey, maybe this girl could show me a thing or two about playin' games. Might be fun.' "

"Oh, it is! I love it!"

"Thanks."

Giggling, she said, "No problem. So what else have you done?"

"Well, I don't know how much you care about it, but I've been playing a lot of music. I played at a lot of clubs and bars and I'm starting to build up a name for myself. I like it. Much better than my old job. Mostly because this time, I'm making millions of people happy. People wanna see me. I'm feelin' much less alone now."

Those words echoed in Hana's head. _Millions of people happy_. That's something that wasn't happening back at Overwatch. Until Jeremy came into her life, she had little interest in music, but since that trip to Guitar Center, when she bought a synthesizer for herself to learn, she started to appreciate it more. "That sounds good, hon. Hey, I've been practicing that keyboard I bought and I really like it. You're right. Music can make people feel really good."

"Yeah. I think we've kinda impacted our lives quite a bit. I got you into music, and you got me into video games. Maybe Lena is right. Maybe we would make a great couple." Hana blushed again.

"Speaking of which," she said. "You said you're performing music now, right?"

"Yep!"

"Do you…Would you…like…me…to play an instrument for you?"

Jeremy was a little shocked to hear Hana asking him this. But all of a sudden, it made sense. Hana saw this look of shock on his face and she thought to herself, _Oh God. I shouldn't have asked that. I knew I can't do it_. But Jeremy instead said, "Actually, maybe you can…

Earlier I was talking with the other girls. Now that Trace left Overwatch, she's gonna move out here with Emily, and we're considering the idea of us playin' in a band together. I play gigs with just an acoustic guitar by myself, but I'd love to play with a real band. Then I could play electric and sound awesome. Emily's got a bass guitar, so she would take that part, and I told Lena I'd teach her how to play drums. Maybe you can also join as a keyboard player. Then, I guess in a way, I'll still be able to spend the rest of my life with her, and even you, and she'll be with her girlfriend, so yeah. This way, everybody wins."

It sounded like he had a plan. But Hana wasn't sure. "Well, I…I…I'm still learning how to play my keyboard. You couldn't teach me a bit, could you?"

"That's no problem. I can do that. You just owe me something in return for it."

"W-What?" Hana was afraid of what was coming next. But she shouldn't have been, because what Jeremy said was,

"You need to show me how to be an awesome gamer."

Sighing in relief, Hana said, "That I can do."

"Cool!"

The drove into town. Hana was going to show him a great place where video games and consoles were bought and sold. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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Returning home to his estate, Jeremy was loaded with new game consoles. He was lucky enough to find the original Nintendo consoles from the 1980's, the XBOX consoles from the 2000's and 2010's, and all the old consoles that he didn't already have.

Of course, with no experience other than a few rounds of pong with his twin brothers, the only ones that showed any sort of sympathy and acceptance towards him, he couldn't play very well, but Hana told him not to worry about that. She would teach him.

He showed her where he kept his TVs, inside his man cave, and told her to just ignore the sign banning girls without food from entering. That was just meant to be a little dry humor.

Hana was surprised by what she saw in there. She didn't think that anyone could afford to have a house with so many game tables and even a bowling lane in it. She loved that he had a bar in it, though. She was about to grab herself a drink, but she decided to save it for later. They would be having fondue for Christmas Eve dinner and she wanted to save her drinking for then.

The walls in the man cave were decorated with posters of all of Scout's idols, including The Beatles, Tom Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon, George Carlin, the cast of M*A*S*H, and there was one picture on the wall that really stood out to Miss Song.

"You really met this guy?" She asked, pointed to a framed picture on the wall that showed Jeremy with Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Dr. Teeth, Rowlf the Dog, and Animal.

"Yeah! Best day of my life! I tried doing some stand-up while I was on the RED Team, and I guess I was popular enough that Jim there invited me to appear as the guest star on an episode of _The Muppet Show_. He was hopin' that maybe it would give me a big career boost, so I could leave the team. Didn't work out, though. Of course, I didn't get heckled by those two old guys. Poor Fozzie was the subject of their insults."

Hana giggled. "You mean Statler and Waldorf?"

"Yeah, those two guys. You know who they are, right?"

"Yes we do. We look at them as the godfathers of trolling."

"Trolling?" Jeremy was confused.

"Um…I'll explain later."

When Jeremy showed her the TV setup where he was keeping all his games, Hana almost drooled. He had some of the oldest gaming consoles _ever made_.

"Oh my God, a Magnavox Odyssey. I've never seen one of these in real life before. And a Pong console? Wow! You're so rich, Jeremy!"

"Oh, I'm not _that_ loaded," he said, but Hana just stared at him.

"How could you live in a house like this if you weren't loaded?! How much did this thing cost?!"

"Only about 30 bucks."

"30 dollars for _this?!_ " Hana squeaked in disbelief.

"I bought it in 1975. Video games barely existed back then."

"Oh," Hana said, slightly disappointed. "Oh well, let's start playing some games!"

They turned on the XBOX and popped in a first-person shooter game called _Unlimited Warfare_. It was one of the most popular games of the time. Online servers were loaded with people, which was rife for competitive play. That was Hana's favorite. But she said to Jeremy, "Now, some girls will come up to you and say that they're gamer girls, even though they're not. You, my friend, need to learn the difference between a fake gamer girl and a real gamer girl. A fake girl just takes pictures of herself holding game consoles next to her boobs while hashtagging about how nerdy she is. Now, a real gamer girl, well…You're about to see one." Grinning, she started a match and began playing.

( _One hour later…_ )

Hana was the top-scoring player in the server. She was totally decimating everyone else playing. Not only that, but she was practically screaming into the headset that she was wearing.

"YEAH! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I'M THE BADDEST BITCH YOU EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF PLAYING WITH! I WILL TOTALLY WRECK YOUR DICK!" She blew up a military base. "YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YEAH! HEY YOU TOO! FUCK YOU! _FUCK YOOOOOOOUUU!_ FUCK YEAH! LET'S GO LET'S GO LET'S GO AW FUCK I'M OUTTA AMMO! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! YEAH, I'M LOADED UP AGAIN! I'VE BEEN GETTING MOTHERFUCKERS ASSES REKT WHILE YOU'VE BEEN SUCKING YOUR BOYFRIEND'S DICK!"

"Shut the fuck up…" A small voice came over the headset. Big mistake.

"YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH, YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER!"

Jeremy was surprised. He always imagined Hana as a cute little schoolgirl somehow getting drop-kicked into a war zone in a piece of machinery that was more badass than she was. This he did not expect at all: A girl screaming swears at people over the internet so often that even a sailor would tell her to calm down.

"YEAH! YEAH! YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! UNLIMITED POWER! I'M LIKE FUCKING EMPEROR PALPATINE! _UNLIMITED POWER!_ FUCK YEAH! CRITS ALL OVER THE FUCKING PLACE!" She burst down a door into the enermy's headquarters. "KNOCK KNOCK, MOTHERFUCKERS! IT'S RAPING TIME! YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH! EAT LEAD! OH, YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME?! SHOW ME WHATCHA GOT!" A guy tried to kill Hana in the game, but she easily mowed him down. "BULLSHIT! FUCK YOU! I WILL SHOVE THAT SIPER RIFLE UP YOUR CAMPING ASS SO HARD YOU'LL BE SHITTING LEAD FOR A YEAR! _A FUCKING YEAR!_ IF THERE'S EVER GONNA BE A CHURCH OF D. VA, _THIS WILL BE WHERE IT GOT STARTED!_ " Finally the round ended. Hana was the top scorer in the server. She raised her middle fingers and shouted, "HELL YEAH! EAT SHIT! SUCK MY NIPPLES, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! YOU JUST GOT RAPED BY THE BADDEST-ASS GAMING GIRL WHO EVER DREW BREATH! FUCK YEAH! PEACE, BITCHEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" And she turned off the TV. Then she turned to Jeremy and said in a calm voice, "That is _real_ gamer girl, hon."

Jeremy was a little bit shaken from seeing this. Not only from seeing this sweet girl turn into a gaming ragoholic, but also from that back into a sweet girl. It's like she had some kind of split personality disorder. But in a weird way, he actually liked it. He liked a girl who could kick ass and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, which Hana clearly wasn't.

But then she stood up and said, "So, did you always want a house like this?"

"Oh yeah. Especially the foosball table. My vision of heaven is having three of those." Hana then took a seat at a table which had a chess board set up.

"You play board games, too? I love board games. They may seem very old and outdated, but people don't realize just how much fun they can give that an electronic device can't." Indeed, Scout had a cabinet next to the bar which had _The Settlers of Catan_ , _Ticket to Ride_ , _Monopoly_ , _Clue_ , _Risk_ , and several other games. "We should play them together sometime."

"Sure, I got no problem with that." Jeremy said, throwing some darts at his dartboard.

When Hana opened the door to the swimming pool, she almost fainted. The lighting in the room gave off a minimalistic, yet still expressive glow which had an almost romantic touch to it. The couches and lounge chairs had cushions that looked so soft and clean, and a rack of folded white towels that looked like they had never been used before.

The water looked very warm and pleasant to swim around in. It's waves reflected off the walls and ceiling. The fountains beside the pool were squirting out streams of water into the pool, and the hot tub at the side was the cherry on top. Almost immediately, Hana became lovestruck. Then she started thinking. _Maybe I can sneak down here at night, when he's asleep. Oh yes, that will be just nice. I'll strip totally nude and just have a nice, relaxing swim in this cool water. Yeah. I couldn't swim naked at my old pool, but now I can. This will be so sublime._

"Hana?" Jeremy's voice called out from the other room. "Is everything OK over there?"

Snapping out of her dirty thoughts, Hana quickly turned around and said, "Huh? Oh yeah, ev-everything's fine. Nothing to worry about. I totally wasn't-" She quickly shut her mouth before she said any more.

"Wasn't what?" Jeremy asked. He wasn't being snarky. He really seemed concerned.

"I…I wasn't…I wasn't…Seeing anything…wrong here."

"Good. I got more I'd like to show you."

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He showed her to his recording studio. Hana had never been one really into music, but she thought this studio looked very nice. Definitely not something the average person could own. It looked much too nice and expensive to belong in the average house. She also liked the many instruments that were in studio. They looked so nice and elegant. The keyboards were all lined up perfectly, each one marked by their brand names, which ranged between Oberheims, ARPs, and Yamahas. The drums were set up very professionally, but this was a drum set that was very large. Hana had never seen one like this. It had two bass drums, several toms and cymbals, congas, cowbells, electronic drums, and a gong. _What kind of drum set has a gong?_ She thought.

There were also guitars – Electric, acoustic, and bass – arranged on racks in the room. There were also accompanied by a wave of amplifiers and a large set of pedals on boards. Hana was impressed. She knew nothing about these strange pedals, but she could tell that they affected the guitar's tone in some way. This could probably make them sound much different, and maybe even a little slick.

Hana walked over to one of the keyboards and began playing it. She knew a few things, such as scales, but she knew that she still wasn't very good at it. "Um, Jeremy? I'm…not sure if I can do this…I don't know if I should be in your band…"

"Oh, come on! Sure you can! Your fingers push down buttons so much on game controllers! I know you have the dexterity to play this! Now, you might need some work, but I think I can beef you up enough to play in my band. Besides, now that you're gone from Overwatch, what else can you do now?"

He was right. There weren't many options for her now that she was no longer a hero. And this was one that permitted her to be with him and even her best friend from her old group, Lena.

For the next hour, Jeremy gave Hana keyboard lessons. Under his aid, Hana found herself really enjoying it. In fact, she found it very therapeutic in the same way that video games were. Hana was beginning to realize that Jeremy's interests and her own were really not that different after all.

Their jam ended with her practicing a part all by herself with Jeremy accompanying her on guitar. They played a song that Jeremy knew from memory, but that Hana needed some sheet music for. He sang:

 _Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?_

 _Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide._

 _So we've been told and some choose to believe it._

 _I know they're wrong. Wait and see._

 _Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers, and me._

After they were done, they turned off the amps, and Hana said, "Well, I really enjoyed that. I think I might be good at this after all."

"See? I told you. If I can play games, you can play music. Not that hard, really."

"Well, what should we do now? It's an hour before dinner's ready."

"Well…" Jeremy trailed off.

"What?"

"I don't know if it interests you, but I do live next to a beach. Wanna go for a walk?"

A walk on the beach? That seems a little bit…romantic. Flattered and grinning, Hana said, "Please."

As they walked out the back door, across the large back yard, where a golf course was being built – As part of a solid that Jeremy owed his old buddy, Dell Conagher – Two pairs of jealous eyes saw them.

Lena and Emily were whipping up a cheese sauce for a secondary fondue for fruit and vegetables when they saw the two go for a walk on the beach. Although neither would openly admit it to anyone except themselves, they did feel a little neglected. Jeremy hadn't spent any time with him for quite a few hours. They were always in the kitchen, helping with the dinner, while he was doing fun things with Hana Song. Despite their sexuality, neither could deny having some feelings for the sprinter-turned-guitarist and they felt at least a little bit jealous over seeing him with another woman, even if it was the one they set him up with.

"Emily?"

"Yes, love?"

Lena paused, unsure of what to say. "Is…Is it all right…To have feelings towards someone that you know you can't have?"

"Well…You can only be in a relationship with one person, but…It's ok to love several people if they mean so much to you…" She trailed off. Even she didn't believe in what she said.

"You know what I mean," Lena said. "I love Jeremy so much. More so now than I ever have been, and even though I love you so much – Believe me, I would rather be in a committed relationship with you than with him – I…" She sighed. "I just can't help but feel some sort of…of…" She didn't know how to describe her feelings.

"Heartache?" Emily asked.

"Yes! Exactly! I just feel my heart crying in pain whenever I see him with someone else. And I know I shouldn't, because I can't have a three-way relationship, that's just wrong. And I know that he's finally found someone who makes him so happy, and it should be a bonus, because I care about Hana a lot, and I'm glad she's doing this, too. So that's two people I helped heal. I should be proud of myself for that.

But…I'm not…Well, I am. Really, I'm glad he's in such a loving relationship now, because I can't stand it if he tried to kill himself again. But still, a part of me wishes I could still have him to…to…be able to hold and touch and…" They looked out the window and saw the two of them on the beach. They were laughing and hugging each other tightly. Lena felt a little sad. Damn it, she wanted attention, too!

Emily felt envious. "Hana is so special…"

"Yes…" Her girlfriend agreed, trying to hold back the choke in her voice. "I wish…I could hold Jeremy like that."

"So you wanna get a little more intimate with him?"

"Exactly, love! And not even to shag him, believe me. I don't feel any urge to have him stick his hard one inside me. I just want to able to touch him and kiss him and cuddle him and have him do all that to me in return, and also maybe with Hana as well."

"I know you feel," Emily said. "Because I want that, too."

Lena turned. She wasn't surprised to hear this, since she heard Emily confess her feelings for him earlier, but she was a little confused. "Well, what can we do, love? I mean, we can't be feeling another person when we've promised to be committed to each other, can we?"

"Well," Emily said, a little shaky, "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure this out for myself, too. Don't forget that I also want to be intimate with him while still being faithful to you. But…I don't know…Maybe there is no way, but I hope that's not true."

Lena pondered. She was trying to think of something she could do. She didn't feel betrayed by what Emily said, because she knew she still loved her, and she was thinking exactly the same thing. "Well, hear me out, love."

"OK…"

"I think…We can do some of those things with Jeremy without betraying each other…I've known girls – Straight girls, who had boyfriends – And they've had close relationships with other girls. I've seen them kiss, slap each other on the butt-" Emily giggled. She remembered seeing this, too. "-And I'll bet anything that they've sat in hot tubs together without wearing anything at all. Not even bikinis. Naturally, they wouldn't say they did, they know not to post things like that on the internet. For instance, Hana is straight, as far as I know, at least, and she's been fine with me seeing her naked in the locker rooms at the Overwatch bases."

"Did she ever slap you on your cute tushie, too?" Emily asked, in a teasing voice.

Lena softly punched her on the shoulder and said in an embarrassed voice, "Stop it." Emily just laughed. It was obvious some of that was going on over there.

"The point I'm trying to make is I don't think there's any wrong in us feeling the way we feel about Jeremy. I think we can let things get a little personal between us. I don't think there's any harm in us, once in a while, tackling him onto the bed, kissing him, and wrapping him in our arms. As long as we don't have sex – Which, let's be honest, neither of us want – It's OK for us to be in a closer relationship with Jeremy. You know, kissing, cuddling, if we're really feeling adventurous, maybe showing a little extra skin around him," she said with a grin.

"Lena, you are such a bad girl," Emily said. "And that's what I love about you."

"Really? Just that?"

"No! Of course, there's other things, but I love how open you are about everything, even your most dirty thoughts. Because I can't lie: There's a little bad side in me, too." She grinned and giggled.

"Well, it is Christmas time. And you know why Santa Claus is so jolly? Because he knows where all the bad girls live," Lena said evilly.

"Oh, Lena…" She leaned forward and kissed her. Once again, the kiss was a very passionate one. When they broke away, Lena said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so," said Emily.

"We'll do it tonight."

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Outside, Jeremy and Hana were enjoying a stroll on the beach together. Cannon Beach wasn't like the beaches in California, in the sense that they weren't crowded with people. But it did have the nice white sand, a nice cool winter breeze blowing, and a few people outside on the beach, either flying a kite or tossing a Frisbee around with their dogs.

Jeremy and Hana took off their shoes and socks and left them in a safe place. They didn't want to end up getting sand scattered around in the house. They were having fun together, just running and frolicking around on the beach. They weren't doing much, but they had a fun time. They ran around the beach, chasing each other, occasionally kicking sand in the other's direction. They ran around so much that the sweat from their bodies negated the cold December weather.

Finally, after some time, they decided to settle down and just watch the sunset before dinnertime. It felt lovely. Hana was happier now than she had ever felt in a long time. The same went for Jeremy. For once, he wasn't feeling sorry for himself. He had found love, and in somebody he didn't expect to find it. Maybe Lena was right. Maybe there was a future for the two of them, even if no one else thought so.

After just watching the sunset, Hana decided to strike up a conversation.

"So…um…did you enjoy performing with the Muppets?"

Jeremy was surprised that Hana would ask that, but he would happily respond. "Oh yeah, it was a blast. Jim Henson is a freakin' genius. He makes those sock puppets seem so real. I actually saw him controlling Kermit right in front of me, and I still thought he was alive!"

"Wow." Hana was amazed. "I wish I could have met him. I love the Muppets. I wish I could have been able to meet Jim Henson while he was alive. That probably would have been enough to convince me to become an actress instead of a hero. My favorite Muppet is Rowlf."

"Oh, the dog. Yeah, he's pretty funny, too."

"I have a Rowlf plush back at my home in Korea."

"Yeah, I love Rowlf. He's always made me laugh. But my favorites _by far_ are the old guys, Statler and Waldorf."

Hana laughed. "You mean the guys who invented trolling?"

"Trolling? Never heard that word before."

Hana blushed. "I-I'll explain later. Anyway, I love those guys."

"Yeah. ' _I'll always regret that I didn't study Shakespeare when I was a kid._ ' ' _When you were a kid, you could have_ talked _to Shakespeare_.' " They both laughed. "I found I've taken in a lot of their humor. I like to have a laugh at other losers' expense. I wanna be just like those guys when I get old."

Just then, a little rainstorm was starting to come down. It was very light, but Jeremy lived in Oregon long enough to know that it was going to get heavier from here on out. "Uh-oh. We better go inside. It's gonna get heavy soon."

Soon came sooner than they thought. Once they picked up their shoes and socks off from the beach, it was already beginning to pour down. The two didn't even wait to put them back on their feet. They just ran barefoot up the hill back to Jeremy's house. They climbed the fence, splashed into some puddles to wash the sand off their feet, then they went inside the house.

Lena and Emily were waiting for them. The fondue dinner was now ready. There was a pot of boiling vegetable oil for dipping meat in. There was chicken, shrimp, and steak. On the side, was a smaller pot with a cheese sauce being heated. It was real cheese that was melted, not the powder crap that Jeremy and the others hated. For that sauce, there were apples, pears, bread, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and peppers. Emilena raided Jeremy's liquor room in the basement and brought up a bottle of champagne to drink. At first, Jeremy was going to complain about this, saying that he was saving that drink for a special occasion, but it occurred to him that Christmas Eve dinner with the three girls was a very special occasion.

"Cheers loves! The dinner's here!"

"This looks yummy!" Hana said. "You said you had this for dinner every Christmas Eve, Jer?"

"Yep. Ma always made it for me and the boys every year. It was great. I'm glad you all think so, too."

"Well, let's dig in!"

They did. It was an extremely happy dinner. They enjoyed every single part of it. Jeremy was right. This was the best thing to do for Christmas dinner. Now she knew why he liked it so much. Only part she didn't like was Emily stealing her shrimp.

"Hey! That was mine!" She shouted after her girlfriend picked up some shrimp that she had cooking in the oil and popped it in her mouth. Emily just giggled and flipped her off.

"Why you…I'll get back at you for that…"

At one point, Jeremy picked up a piece of steak that was cooking in the oil. Hana didn't know that he was grabbing it, so she took it, thinking it was hers. They didn't notice that the other was holding onto it until the put it in their mouths. Their eyes were closed so that they could savor the juiciness of the beef, but they both found their lips touching something very soft that didn't feel like steak at all. The both opened their eyes and found their lips touching each other. They were kissing.

Lena and Emily "ooohhh"ed at the sight in front of them. Jeremy and Hana flushed. But they didn't break away from their kiss for a while. In fact, it became much more passionate. From that point on, they started to deliberately eat pieces of food simultaneously to sneak some more kisses in. They did this with a piece of bread, a piece of chicken, a mushroom, and a few other things lying around.

After an hour, everything on the table had been eaten. The four of them all pitched in to help clean up the dishes and table to prepare for the dessert fondue that they would have later that evening. "I think we should wait for a little while before we eat dessert," Lena said. "We need this chow to settle down in our stomachs, you know."

"Yeah, I getcha," Jeremy said. "Otherwise we could end up puking out all that awesome crap we just ate and, yeah, nothin' would get eaten. We can't have that, can we?"

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After dinner, Jeremy went up to the control room of his studio to have Hana show him how to install games on his computer. She insisted that a computer was the best way to play games, better than any console out there. In fact, she insisted that the only reason why one should even buy consoles in the first place was to obtain all the awesome games that they couldn't get on a PC, such as _The Last of Us_ and the _Uncharted_ series. She pointed him to one game in particular that attracted his attention. This game was called _Team Fortress 2_ , and she said that it was loosely based on the gravel wars of the 1970's that he fought in. She said that it was a fun game, and that these days, it doesn't get the attention and respect that it deserves.

Jeremy agreed with her after playing a few rounds of it. He agreed. He thought it was super fun, but not many people were playing online. He was so hooked on it, in fact, that he swore he would get in touch with Valve, the developers of the game, and do something with them to revitalize it and make it great again. But he did take issue with a few things. When Hana showed him he could play as one character called The Scout, which was loosely based on none other than his truly, he didn't like his appearance. "That doesn't look a thing like me," he said harshly. "And the Boston accent is so fake on this guy. I wonder if you can sue someone for breach of taste."

After a while, Hana pulled out her computer, joined the server and played a few matches with him, just like before, she was destroying the entire server. They didn't even make it past the first stage of Dustbowl because Hana showed absolutely no mercy (no pun intended) towards the BLU Team. They never even made it to the first capture point before Hana would unload her Level 3 Sentry on them. The Sentry was controlled by The Engineer, loosely based on Jeremy's old friend Dell Conagher. Things then got heated. Hana was sweating and panting heavily, so she grabbed a fan that was in the studio, and cranked it up as high as she could. And then came the swearing again. Jeremy was impressed with this split personality of hers. She may appear sweet and innocent, but put her in a competitive match, and she will make Bruce Banner seem like a pacifist.

"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN! YOU'RE GONNA GET RAPED AND YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT! YOU WON'T EVEN HAVE AN ASS BY THE TIME I'M FINISHED WITH YOU! I AM GONNA RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR FUCKING NECK!"

" _Swearing For Dummies_ , by Hana Song, in stores now," Jeremy said.

After the round ended, Jeremy said, "You know, we really need to play against some more experienced guys. It's gettin' real borin' playin' games where only you win."

"Yes, I know, but we first need to get people to actually play this game. I wish there was something we could do to convince people to keep playing it," Hana said.

"Yeah, maybe I can do something. Another thing The Muppets would say, it only takes one person to make a difference."

"I hope. Well, almost time for dessert, Jer. Wanna go down and have some?"

"Stupid question."

"Yeah, I know."

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The girls and Jeremy gathered around the table once again for a dessert fondue. This one had bananas, marshmallows, apples, Rice Krispies, and white cake bites ripe for dipping in a melted chocolate sauce. Once again, it was created with real chocolate and not any of the powder products which nobody eating this food liked.

As expected, they found it extremely delicious. Sometimes, after dipping something into the chocolate, Emily would rub it off on her finger and let Lena lick it off. Jeremy and Hana started doing this as well.

"Hmmm, this chocolate is so sweet," Hana said, with her mouth full of bananas.

"It's as sweet as you are, love," Lena said to Jeremy, who blushed at hearing this.

"Oh, pish-posh. It's just pure luck that brought you girls to me."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was nothin' but luck," Emily grinned.

"Hey, love. Do you have any lemons in here? I was making a cocktail and I can't find any lemons around here."

"Yeah, I do. They're downstairs. Lemme go grab some. How many do you need?"

"Like four or five. You have that many?"

"Yep. I'll be right back." And he ran out of the room. He ran so fast, in fact, that Lena thought he had blinked out of there just like how she used to when she was dissociated through time and had to wear an accelerator.

"So, Hana," she said after Jeremy left. "How do you like Jeremy?"

"Oh, he's wonderful. I'm so happy to be with him. I'm even happier that he's taking a chance on me. I think we have more in common than either he or I used to think. This could actually work out really well. I just hope everyone else who ever knows about this thinks the same."

Lena and Emily felt lumps in their throats from hearing it. They knew that it wasn't good to be jealous, since the two of them together was what was best for everyone, but they still couldn't help it.

"Well, it's just…" Emily started. "We're only asking because…well…we want you to know that we have feelings for Jeremy, too."

"Exactly. You see, guys like him are very…shall we say, not common at all. You are very lucky to be able to hook up with him."

"Yes, I know that," Hana said. "I know how fragile he is, but I promise you I won't do anything bad to him."

"Oh, don't worry. We're not worried about that, love," Lena said. "We know what you have found in him, and it's just…just…we want to have some of it, too."

"What?!" Hana was shocked to hear this. "You mean, you girls love him, too?!"

"Well…um…yes, we do. And…well…we just…we want to be able to have…a little bit of…the love he gives you…"

"You can't really be suggesting having a three-way or… _four-way_ relationship with him, are you?!" Hana couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"NO! No, of course not!" Emily said. "We don't want to have sex with him or…give him blowjobs, or…anything like that…we just want to be able to kiss him and hold him and cuddle him like you do. Nothing really smutty, just…be able to have some intimacy around him without any consequences. You know, like giving him passionate hugs and kisses, snuggle in bed, maybe even swim in the pool without clothes on or, if we're feeling adventurous, maybe take a nice warm bath with him."

"We'll include you too, if you want us to," Lena said.

 _Is she asking me to bathe with them…and him?!_ "Well…" For obvious reasons, Hana was uncertain. "I don't know…I mean, doesn't it feel strange that you want…I know these things seem small, but in a relationship, it's very personal…"

"Look, we know that. We know that it's tough to make these sorts of decisions, but…please…just think about it," Emily said. "Don't forget, Lena and I love each other so much. We will never leave each other for anything. But we feel like we love Jeremy enough that…we just want some of the perks that he gives you."

"OK…" Nervously, she agreed. "I'll think about it, but no promises."

"That's all we wanted from you," Lena said.

Just then, Jeremy came back holding the lemons in his hands. " 'Ey, did anybody miss me? Well, doesn't matter, 'cause I'm back!"

"Thanks, love! I didn't know you had fruit in that cooler of yours downstairs!"

"Yeah, well, I just keep them there for when I need them. A wise man once said to me, when life gives you lemons, get mad and burn life's house down with the lemons."

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Now it was nighttime. The four in the house agreed to go to sleep. Christmas morning was tomorrow, and they wanted to be prepared for it. Emily and Lena decided to sleep in the bedroom in the basement that night, since Lena was now convinced that Jeremy was being looked after by someone she could trust. When the two decided to sleep together that night, Hana felt excited…but also a little freaked. She never slept with a man before. She wanted what it would feel like and what would happen. Nevertheless, she was always one for adventure and trying new things.

In his bedroom, Jeremy was changing into his nightclothes, which was actually just a pair of long silk nightpants. He decided not to wear a shirt. The house was heated enough that he didn't think it was necessary. He was walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth, when he realized – too late – That Hana was in there, changing into her nightclothes as well.

When he opened the door, he saw Hana standing in front of the mirror, wearing only a pair of white panties. Her back was totally bare and so wear her legs, which she happened to shaving at that moment. Thankfully, the razor was away from her body at the time, because she would have definitely cut herself when she turned back and shrieked at what she heard. And saw.

She covered her breasts with her arms before Jeremy could see them, but before she could say anything, Jeremy jumped back, and quickly said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I forgot you were in here! Please! Please! Forgive me! I'm sorry I barged in on you like that!"

Hana was about to scream at him for indeed throwing open the door while she was almost naked, but when she saw how sorry he was, and when he heard him say, "I was just coming in to brush my teeth, I swear!" She simply said, "O-O-OK, I-I-I…I'll just shave over…here, then." She moved to the bathtub and shaved her legs in it, while Jeremy used the sink to brush his teeth.

They both finished what they were each doing at the same time. It felt very awkward. Neither could stand to look at each other at the moment, but neither wanted to leave, either. Finally, Jeremy spoke up. "Hey look, hon, this is a little weird, but it doesn't need to be. I think if we're gonna be in this together, we should start getting used to seeing each other like this."

"What do you mean by-hmph!" Hana's words were cut off when Jeremy threw his arms around her and kissed her fully on the mouth. She tried to wiggle out of this, but she wasn't trying very hard. Eventually she succumbed to his charm and melted into the kiss. But what really hit home was when Jeremy whispered in her ear, "I love you, Hana." Then he picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom and onto his bed.

"Are-Are you sure about this, honey?" Hana asked.

"Of course I am. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't. Are you?"

Hana smiled. "Of course I am." They quickly kissed again, then Jeremy turned off the light, climbed back into bed, and pulled the covers over the two of them. Compared to last night, when he felt like no one loved him and he wanted to cry himself to sleep, he felt very good tonight. There was a beautiful girl right next to him who actually said that she loved him. Jeremy felt at peace finally. He knew he was loved now. There would be no crying tonight, and he knew it. Despite his initial skepticisms, he now felt like this new relationship with Hana would be a good one. He was glad he listened to Lena's advice on taking a chance with her. Before long, he felt himself dozing off.

Hana was feeling good, too. Just a few moments ago, she objected to Jeremy seeing her like this, without a single layer of clothing above her waist, but now she didn't mind. She actually found it sexy. What she found even sexier was lying in bed with her legs and armpits clean-shaven, with the only clothing on her body being some sexy underwear which felt more like some tiny scrap of satin and lace pretending to be underwear. And someday, she figured, she wouldn't even be wearing _that_ when sleeping with Jeremy. Giggling at that last thought, Hana snuggled into Jeremy and, comforted by his warmth, felt herself going into a deep sleep.

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"Cheers, loves! The holidays are here!"

"Come on, we got stuff for you!"

Jeremy and Hana were woken up the next morning by a hyper pair of girls whose voices they knew.

"Wha? Already?" Jeremy groggily groaned. "It's only…seven thirty."

"We let you two sleep in because we thought you needed it, but we're wasting too much time. Now come on, get up!" Emily pulled open the curtains to let some bright light shine on their faces. Realizing there was no other options, the two of them decided to just get up and get this over with.

Jeremy unwillingly dozed off a little while longer. By the time he finally got out of bed, he noticed that his shower was being used, which meant he had to wait before he could get himself cleaned up. He sighed, then he noticed that a pair of underpants were hanging on the doorknob of the bathroom door. That meant that Hana was in that bathroom, completely naked. And the shower was running, so she was also wet. Jeremy couldn't help feeling turned on by this, and he certainly couldn't help the hard feeling in his pants.

"Oh no," he groaned. "I can't have her see me like this. What will I do?" He didn't have much time to think. He heard the water shut off in the bathroom and heard Hana stepping out of the shower.

"Aw, crap! He decided to just stuff his member inside the waist strap of his pants, so that she wouldn't see it.

Hana stepped out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel. She smiled at Jeremy and said, "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yeah, definitely!" He said. "Thanks for showering quickly, I really need to get in there!"

"Quickly? I've been in that shower for almost half an hour."

"Oh. Right. Missed that part." Then he quickly rushed in without another word.

Hana scoffed. _What's he in such a rush for?_ Then she decided to step outside on the balcony. She took a good long look at the Pacific Ocean. She didn't know why, but she felt a real sense of being at home when she looked at it. _But why? Is it because Korea borders this same ocean? Is it because I just feel so relaxed right now?_ And she was. She found that she liked the Oregon Coast much more than she thought she would. She felt so relaxed, in fact, that she felt she needed to take it in. She threw her towel off her body and, with her arms raised and her legs only slightly apart, stood to soak in the cool early morning Oregon breeze. But not for too much longer since it was chilly outside and soon she would decide to just run back in.

By the time Jeremy stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Hana was already dressed. Her outfit was not unlike that of a schoolgirl. She wore long stockings with shoes, a white blouse with a black jacket, and a red skirt. She braided her hair into a ponytail, and was now listening to some music through her earbuds. Somehow, that mad eher look even cuter. When her back was turned, he changed into his outfit, which was his usually attire of shorts, long tube socks, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt, this time a Pantera shirt.

When they got downstairs, Emily and Lena were waiting for them.

"Merry Christmas, loves!"

"We got you a little something, Jeremy," Emily said, holding out a gift-wrapped package. Curious as to what it was, Jeremy took it, ripped it open, and couldn't believe what he saw under it.

He gasped. "No!" He had a wide smile on his face.

"Yes," Lena grinned.

"How did you…?"

"I saw the wishlist in your desk drawer," Emily said. They had given Jeremy an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi pedal for his guitar.

"When did you…?"

"While you were busy playing around with Hana, we went out to do a little shopping," Lena said. "We ran by Guitar Center and picked that up for you. The best fuzz pedal in the world, as you said on your list."

Speechless, Jeremy ran to the two girls, pulled them into a tight hug, and kissed each of them on their foreheads. Suddenly, he felt a little guilty. "Man, I now feel awful."

"Why? What's wrong, love?" Lena asked, concerned.

"I didn't get you girls anything. I completely forgot that it was Christmas. I feel awful. You three have done so much for me, and I didn't even get you anything."

Lena and Emily understood, but they reassured him it was alright. "Love, you've already given us the best give you could have possibly given us. You gave us a place to stay for Christmas when I was a total wreck. I missed you so much. I wanted to see you again so badly, and you let us stay here in your place. You let us spend the happiest day of the year with you."

"She's right," Hana said. "You've done that with me as well. Things have not been good for us since we left Overwatch. But you took us in and let us crash here and spend Christmas with you. That, to me, is such a wonderful gift. I don't think we could have asked for anything more, so thank you very much. You've made everyone's Christmas day, especially mine, much happier."

Jeremy felt much better now. He was glad that he made a difference for these ladies that meant so much to him. "Thanks girls. I don't know what I'd do without you." He meant that. He never felt more loved in his life than he felt right now. The four embraced each other in a tight group hug. When they broke away, Jeremy said, "So what should we do now?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could play on the beach for a while, then come back up here to watch some movies for the rest of the day. I don't care how we spend Christmas Day as long as we do it together."

"I'm with her."

"Seconded."

Jeremy knew they were right. "Well then, let's do this!"

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After eating a big breakfast, the four of them went down to spend a day on the beach. They mostly just chased each other around, had some more races, and at one point, even played volleyball against each other. Scout and Hana were on one team, Lena and Emily on the other.

They eventually grew tired, and decided to just relax on the sand for a while to catch their breaths. Today was probably the best Christmas that any of them had in a long time. As they all lay on the sand, each wrapped in their own thoughts, Jeremy finally spoke out loud, "Girls, I just wanna thank you. For everything. Especially you, Lena. Thanks for saving my life. Thanks for showing me the value of my life when I didn't see it. You were right. Suicide is never the answer. I now live a very good life, and I wouldn't be here living it if it wasn't for you, so thank you very much. And thank you, Emily, for not feeling jealous…and for helping me put my life back together again. And thank you, Hana, for showing me that my options aren't limited."

The girls didn't know what to say. Jeremy was saying the words that they wanted to hear for a long time. They tried to think of something to say, but they couldn't. Instead, Hana rushed forward, tackled Jeremy onto the ground, and kissed him on the lips. Lena rushed over, kissing Jeremy on his left cheek, Emily doing the same on his right.

As they all lay kissing him, hugging each other as if their lives depended on it, Jeremy learned a very valuable lesson: No matter how hard or unlikely it seems, there will always be someone who cares. Someone who will give him help and show him the light when he needs it. He now had no regrets whatsoever coming into these girls' lives, and he didn't expect to leave any time soon. His childhood trauma would always haunt him. I mean, things like his father leaving him and being abused by his brothers, neglected by his teammates, and rejected by the girls of his dreams were not easy issues to get over. But now he knew he was not alone. He had help. He had people who cared. He'd have to be a total idiot now to say that no one loves him when three girls were now kissing him. It would be a long battle against his demons, he knew. But now he was ready and willing to tackle them and pave the way for a brand-new life. And he knew he would, as long as he remembered these two emotions he was feeling right now:

Joy and hope.

He couldn't ask for anything more than that.

 **The End.**

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 **Huh? HUH? I told you there would be lemons in this chapter, and I was right on that, wasn't I?**

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 **Well, that's it for this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. I definitely enjoyed writing it. I must say, I did not expect at all for it to become as long as it was. I was expecting to only write a few chapters and then move on to another story. To publish a story that would eventually exceed 150,000 words was just unthinkable for me. I didn't think I was a skilled enough writer to pull that off. Well, here I am, eating my own words.**

 **So, just a quick recap: Although I am done with this story, I will continue it in a sequel. Believe me, I know I've left so many loose ends in this story that need to be tied up, and of course people still want to see more of the RED Team and Overwatch, which I have proised will happen, I just didn't think it would be appropriate to have it happen in this story, which is billed as a hurt/comfort fanfic. So keep an eye out for that next story. I still don't know what I'm gonna call it, but I know it won't be Don't You Dare Clock Out Early 2.**

 **Also, please leave reviews, and I say this with great emphasis this time around, because I will post a Q &A onto this story with questions that people will be leaving for me in the review section. So please, more than ever before,**

 **PLEASE  
PLEASE  
** _ **PLEASE**_

 **Leave a review after reading this, even if you're only a guest.**

 **Well, that just about wraps it up. Thank you all for reading, and I hope to have the next story up soon.**

 **And thank you to all of the current followers (34), who have stuck with me throughout this crazy journey.**

 **Thanks,**

 **Rockgod.**


	24. Chapter 24: Question Answers (Not Story)

**Hello, everybody. Rockgod again.**

 **So this isn't another chapter to the story. It is simply a Q &A/Wrap-up. I'll answer some questions that people have been asking and provide a little insight into what will be in the next story.**

 **First, I am still thinking about what to call it. One user suggested** _ **New Life, New Troubles**_ **. And I will take that one into account. I will say for sure that it will not be called** _ **Don't You Dare Clock Out Early 2**_ **, as it won't be another hurt story. I personally want people on this site to make their own. The reason why I didn't do it in the first place is because I wanted some Scout/Tracer hurt stories, and couldn't find any. I want other users to write their own.  
SIDENOTE: One user already. The user BXVAce has published a TF2/OW hurt story called Doctors and Dragons. Check it out. It's really good.**

 **Second, for those of you who don't know, I am on Steam. My username is simply Rockgod and it I have the same profile picture that I have here.  
This brings me to my next point. In a conversation I had with GameQ over Steam, I've revealed what will be the start of my story. It will actually be a few things.**

 **One will be of The Administrator launching an investigation into what happened to her mercs who have suddenly disappeared (Remember they went into the future after Winston offered them a sum of non-existent money). Miss Pauling will appear in this one.**

 **Second, it will show Overwatch at a new Watchpoint in New Mexico. Winston will be trying to put together a new chronal accelerator for Tracer which can allow her to control her time without being scattered across time like she was before (Remember she lost that ability in the first story. Ironically, in the same way she got it: In an accident with her plane, the** _ **Slipstream**_ **). Despite this, the rest of Overwatch tries to tell him that Tracer will never return due to the falling-out she had with him and Pharah, but Winston, still feeling guilty over that, insists that he has to at least try.**

 **Third, it will give a backstory to how Tracer and Emily first met. I'm still debating on this, but I've come up with this idea that before joining Overwatch, even before having any intention of being a pilot or hero, Tracer tried to be a stand-up comedian, but she bombed at it. It was at one show at a tavern, while she was getting booed off the stage, that she and Emily first met.**

 **So that's the first part of the story. Obviously, it will develop as time goes on. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up for. Honestly, I expected to end this story shortly after Scout tried to kill himself, but after publishing a chapter, I would lay in my bed and say to myself, "You know, what if this happened? What if Scout found an old car from his time and decided to go back to 1978?"**

 **That was actually the original ending. Scout would leave Overwatch and actually go back to his time, where he made a living as a rockstar. Then, after he died (from old age), he said in his will that he wanted to be cremated and saved in his house. At least, until the day after he left in 2077, during which Tracer and Emily would be alerted to this and informed that his will states that his house and the urn with his ashes belong to them now.**

 **Naturally, Tracer is very upset, even though she knew he would die someday anyway. In fact, for the entire flight to Cannon Beach (yes, that was in the original story too), Emily says she never stopped crying at all, despite her attempts to cheer her up. Things only get worse when they arrive at his house when a lawyer, suspicious of Scout instructing in his will to leave his house and remains to two girls that haven't even been born yet, refuses to give it to them. Tracer has another breakdown over this, feeling like she failed him again, prompting Emily to go to the lawyer and say to him, "You better hand over this house and that urn to us, because one way or another, we're leaving this place with a dead man!" He finally hands it over.**

 **So, that was the original ending. I changed it because people wanted something happier than that. So, I decided instead to give it what I like to call a Pixar ending, in which the ending is a happy one, but not the one that you expect (That is, Scout ends up with D. Va instead of Tracer, although she and Emily still want to have a more personal relationship with him).**

 **That actually brings up another good point: A lack of Scout x D. Va ships. I can understand why that hasn't happened yet, but now that it has, can we get some people to start some Scana groups started on Tumblr or Reddit or Pintrest or someplace like that? And if so, let me know. I want in on this. Share this story to people you know. See if this will get them to start a new ship, especially in light of the previous one which may or may not have sunk. While Tracer has not** _ **officially**_ **been called gay, it is heavily implied from that comic. But then again, she** _ **could**_ **be bisexual, as GameQ stated in his story, Time Error 2. And I guess in some ways, I also implied that in my story, when even she starts falling in love with him.**

 **I don't think it would be much betrayal to those who've called her a lesbian, as that would still make her part of the LGBT community,** _ **and**_ **it would still make sense for her to have a girlfriend. They say that you can't choose who you love – A point which I agree with – And I think in many ways Tracer's feelings towards both Scout and Emily reflect that.**

 **Another thing I'd like to mention is I'd like to see more fanart of my story. I was hoping a lot of people would do that by now. I would do it myself, except I can't draw. The main reason I wrote this story was because I couldn't create pictures for it, as I think it would make more of an impact on people if they could** _ **see**_ **Scout trying to kill himself and Tracer trying to stop him as opposed to** _ **reading**_ **about it.**

 **Now, GameQ is actually doing that right now. He's using Source Filmmaker to recreate that scene I just described. For those of you who don't know, he is on Deviantart right now. He has actually uploaded one picture of his own: The TTPB from his story. You can see it here:**

 **art/Time-Error-Time-Traveling-Pipboy-678437022**

 **But aside from SFM pictures, I would like to see some other art about scenes that really can't be done in SFM, such as Scout's house on the beach, with its' recording studio, home theater, man cave, and swimming pool. I'd like to see a recreation of that on paper.**

 **I also want to see a picture of the scene in Chapter 12 or 13, I forgot which one it was in, which has Scout crying on Tracer's shoulder while she and Emily try to comfort him. That's the main image I want someone to do.**

 **Finally, I want someone to do the ending scene, with Scout lying on his back while D. Va kisses him on the lips, while Tracer and Emily do the same on his cheeks. I think that might get some attention online.**

 **Now, all this said, I do intend to start using Source Filmmaker on my own one day, once I get a proper computer to do so. I'm writing this on my HP laptop right now. I want to be able to get a real desktop computer with a very good graphics chip for gaming and projects. Then I can just create my own pictures and SFM videos. Since I'm a musical person, I'm thinking about making TF2 (maybe OW) music videos using rock songs (Not unlike Harry101UK, if any of you are familiar with him).**

 **One other thing I'd like to mention. I have another TF2 story being written right now. This one will be more about the entire ensemble rather than just Scout. This will have a mix of action, comedy, jokes, social commentary, and even a little psychological horror and drama.**

 **By psychological horror, I don't mean monsters coming out and attacking you, like say, Stephen King's** _ **It**_ **or** _ **Amnesia: The Dark Descent**_ **, I mean stuff that scares your inner psyche. Like, scary moments that you see in Disney films. Here are some examples:**

 **watch?v=pnamFerzNvw**

 **watch?v=NLJvDadSfns**

 **These scenes scared the living fuck outta me when I was a kid, and I hope to be able to recreate that feeling in this story.**

 **And I also plan on having music be a more integral part. I don't mean making it a musical, with all the characters singing, like in most Disney films. I mean using songs (particularly rock songs from the 1960s-1970s) as part of describing how the character(s) feel(s), like you'd see in a Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino movie. The characters themselves will not sing, except maybe having Scout sing a song in the opening which describes the entire theme of the story, a la** _ **Pinocchio**_ **or** _ **The Muppet Movie**_ **. This will be a song I'll write myself.**

 **Now, here's the bad news. I will not publish that story onto this site. Instead, I will do something that no one else tries to do. I will try to write this entire story into a screenplay, go directly to Valve, and try to convince them to make this into a full-length movie, which I feel is what TF2 really needs right now.**

 **Yeah, I told you all before how I have a little prejudice toward Overwatch for taking away TF2's popularity, and that really makes me both sad and angry as TF2 has been my favorite game for as long as I can remember, and I'm very sad that not many people play it anymore, and instead are playing another game. Three guesses which one it is, and the first two don't count.**

 **I hope that by making a TF2 movie, it can lead to a revival in its' popularity. What would make me even happier would be if I was a part of it, which I hope to be. I actually was encouraged by, of all people, Marc Laidlaw (For those of you who claim to be Valve fans who have no idea who that is, he was the main writer for the Half-Life series. He left Valve last year). I got in contact with him via email and he encouraged me to pursue writing and even try to get that movie made.**

 **I joked to him that the Oscars would give Valve a lifetime achievement award for First Good Video Game Movie, because we all know how bad those usually turn out. I'm hoping to make the first one that people like.**

 **But I guess someday TF2 will come back in a big way. I know** _ **Doom**_ **did last year, and** _ **Quake**_ **is coming out with** _ **Champions**_ **this year. If this keeps up,** _ **Half-Life**_ **won't be far behind.**

 **Earlier I said, that the song that Scout would sing at the beginning would be an original one, which I will write. Yes, I also write songs. I'm actually in a rock band right now. I play bass guitar, so the whole concept of Scout being musical is somewhat autobiographical. We call ourselves Crimson Midas and we're gonna record our first music this summer. I'm the primary songwriter for the band, and I'm considering remaking this story (or at least the beginning) into a song. I thought of that after hearing Prince's song "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." (I'm a huge fan of Prince. My favorite albums of his are** _ **Dirty Mind**_ **,** _ **1999**_ **, and** _ **Around the World in a Day**_ **. Go listen to those albums if you haven't already. They're amazing. In fact, most of Prince's output is. The only albums I would give less than three out of five stars are** _ **20Ten, The Rainbow Children**_ **, and** _ **N-E-W-S**_ **. I didn't like those).**

 **So, that's about all I have to say right now. This might be the last thing I add to this story. I might do another one of these if I can get enough feedback/responses. If there's anything else people would like to know, such as thought process, unused parts of the story, what I plan on doing next, please leave a review and let me know.**

 **Or send me a message through the Fanfiction IM.**

 **Or friend me on Steam and send me a message through the Steam IM. I'll always be happy to answer whatever you want to know (as long as it doesn't conflict with my college hours, but I promise to sooner or later).**

 **Thanks,**

 **Rockgod.**


	25. Chapter 25: New Story! Please Read!

**Hello everybody. Rockgod here!**

 **No, this is not a chapter to Don't You Dare Clock Out Early. I finished that story a long time ago.**

 **So why am I posting a new chapter here, might you ask, as well you should?**

 **Well, it has been pointed out to me by another user on this website that many people reading Don't You Dare Clock Out Early aren't aware of the fact that I am writing a sequel to this story.**

 **Yes, you read that right. There is a sequel to this story, which I started working on a few months ago. It's called Meet the New Life, Not the Same as the Old Life.**

 **I am letting all my readers here know about this so that everybody following this story doesn't overlook the other one I have going on. So if you thought I was quitting, you're wrong. I'm not quitting. I'm still going.**

 **Also, another thing some of you might be interested in: I'm forming a new animation group right now to create Source Filmmaker animations, which hopefully will one day lead to a big project that I have planned out. For more details, check out my next story, Meet the New Life, in which I have posted an advertisement for it.**

 **Thanks for reading this story, and I hope you all like the next one!**

 **Thanks,  
Rockgod.**


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